The audio arc was easy reading. It's giving ghosts. It's giving lore. This was a fun conversation about what happens when the proverbial line blurs.

I had a great time with our mini rom moment. Loved our character interactions, and tbf who isn't interested in a little he said she said between ghostly realms?

Overall, pleasant suprise, did not disappoint. There was like next to no moments where I knew what eas going to happen next, and I love that for me.

First of all… can we please talk about how gorgeous this cover is? 😭 OBSESSED!!!

This was a really good read. The narrators were just 👨‍🍳💋 SO GOOD, I was so captivated by Gwendolyn’s story as well as the connection that she shared with her cousin, Fonsi (who, I might add, was my FAVORITE). After their relationship “fizzled,” both of them took entirely different paths. While Fonsi embraced his family’s legacy as psychics, Gwendolyn put all of her energy into being a kick-ass publicist.

But when events start going haywire, she realizes she can no longer run from the power that she holds. Not when the barrier between two worlds is about to break.

I loved this audiobook. LOVED it. Loved it so so much.

4 stars. This was a great horror novel centered around characters from black Caribbean cultures in New York City, featuring a lot of crazy ghost shit, weird magical powers, family drama, and romance (straight and gay). It did a great job hooking me early on and had great dialogue and character writing. I do think some of the pacing in the middle could've been stronger and some of the horror elements could have been ramped up earlier to really feel the strong sense of tension that the ending has earlier on, but overall this is a good book that I think a lot of people would enjoy.

A HUGE thank you to the publishers and author for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This book was amazing. Not gonna lie, I was a little confused at first but man! When it picked up, everything fell into place!

The lore, the Afro-Latinx appreciation was so amazingly done!!! It had just the right amount of creepy and supernatural to keep you hooked the whole way thru! I don’t know if there will be a book 2, but I sure freakin hope there is because not only do I need more, but I also need answers!!! Definitely worth the read!!!!

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this audio production! The narrators, Brittany Bradford and André Santana, did an incredible job. It really flowed well, and I always enjoy getting different narrators for the MCs chapters. Gwendolyn and Fonsi were great characters, and I liked getting to the point where their POVs merge and finding out that secrets have been kept for years.

Gwendolyn’s character arc was great to see, especially in relation to her magic, Fonsi, and James. She needed to work through all of those in order to really accept herself for who she is.

Haynes did a great job of writing this story! The buildup was solid, and I love how it felt suspenseful yet comedic throughout. I love when authors are able to balance those two well. Also getting moments of the spiritual realm? Definitely enjoyed that.

Based on the epilogue, I’m looking forward to hopefully getting a continuation into this series with new characters on the rise!

CW: death, sexual content, homophobia, racism, violence, child death

The audiobook was a whole vibe! The narration really brought out the haunting atmosphere and made the creepier moments hit even harder. Loved how the tone matched the pacing of the story. It was moody and engaging without being over the top. Great listen for a cozy night in.

Thank younetgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook published by Hachette Audio

Overall I feel like the book was fine which obviously left me wanting more. I felt a lack of emotion connect not only between the characters but also to the characters. André Santana did an amazing job narratoring and my only complaint was with Brittany Bradford pronunciation of some of the Spanish word. I highly enjoy the comedy relief and how it was placed within the story.

This is a really unique story that encompasses multiple genres. This story has cozy story elements with the mystery, mythological elements with the Orisha, horror elements with some of the handling of ghosts or spirits, elements of a coming of age or purpose story for both Gwendolyn and Fonsi.

Each POV is vastly different with Gwendolyn a publicist rep for a powerful firm. While Fonsi runs a magic store where he offers psychic guidance. The supporting characters were hilarious and enraging by turns, this was a wild ride.

The reveals are surprising and engaging. Each time I thought I could predict where the story was going, the narrative surprised me. This is action packed after a slowish start. I loved the focus on Afro-Latine culture, the representation of Afro-Latine & Caribbean versions of Ifa style religion with a pantheon of Orisha.

This was fun, representative and engaging. Other than a few minor pacing issues the story grabbed me and would not let me go. Please excuse this tardy review, I did not bring my laptop with and had to wait until I returned to post this. The tardiness of my review isn't in relation to the novel but to my own failure to bring my laptop. I look forward to more novels from this author.

This audiobook is narrated by Brittany Bradford and Andre Santana. This has 2 narrators for the POV of Gwendolyn & Fonsi. This has many supernatural elements and the narration really bolsters the storyline.

Thank you to Clarence A. Haynes, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

3.5/5⭐
5/5🎧 (dual)

Gwendolyn Montgomery parece haber creado la vida ideal con su nuevo y atractivo novio, la pareja perfecta. Pero Gwendolyn guarda una legión de secretos ocultos hace mucho tiempo que podrían desentrañarlo todo. Tras un incidente macabro y extraño en el Museo de Brooklyn, Gwendolyn comienza a comprender que algo nefasto está sucediendo, directamente relacionado con su pasado, justo cuando Fonsi Harewood regresa a su mundo. Fonsi es un psíquico latino queer del sur del Bronx, atrapado en un triángulo amoroso con un fantasma y su ex mortal. Es capaz de comunicarse con los muertos y trae una terrible advertencia para Gwendolyn: la barrera entre humanos y espíritus se está debilitando.

A lo largo del libro hubo un gran desarrollo de los personajes. Me gustó la inspiracion en la cultura latinoamericana. Fue una lectura muy entretenida. Los narradores realizan una excelente actuación.

The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery aligns strongly with my enjoyment of paranormal elements and thriller-adjacent tension, blending mystical stakes with a fast-paced, emotionally layered narrative.

The LGBTQ+ representation (Fonsi's queer storyline) also reminded me of my FAVES Pritty and Togetha.

If you've read and loved...
My Funny Demon Valentine
Unbroken
Cutthroat
Unhinged
... add this story to your TBR

This book was a DNF for me. I found it intriguing at first, but the smut was a bit too much for me. I was hoping for a more in depth story, but there was more focus on sex than anything else it seemed. The narrators were very good though.

A very interesting and unique story! A queer, Afro-Latina, magical reality, and paranormal plot wrapped into something that I couldn’t put down after got into it! It was a slow build for about 30%-40% of the book but then it took off! I couldn’t stop listening! The audiobook was done very well! You can tell this will be a series, which will be tuning in for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was quite different than anything I've read, in the best way. I thoroughly enjoyed the unbridled representation of Afrolatinidad, especially with respect to spiritualism and the history and power of the orishas. The juxtaposition of Fonsi's embrace and Gwendolyn's avoidance of their mystical powers was interesting to see play out. It almost felt allegorical! As a Latina with lineage in spiritual practices, it can be difficult as an adolescent to figure out if this is something you'll embrace or dismiss as you get older, especially growing up in certain areas/times. But setting this story in New York was brilliant, in that the city is rife with characters and spirits of all walks of life. I loved the dark story and really enjoyed the humor that was peppered throughout (thanks, Fonsi!). The narrators also really brought the personalities to life. Gwendolyn was every bit of the professional powerhouse I imagined and Fonsi was a great mix of funny and passionate. I wish we had more of Gwendolyn's story earlier in the book, it would have given her character more depth to pace the remainder of the story. But it still worked in the end! The blending of the human and spiritual worlds was amazing, I enjoyed all the mysticism it offered. Thanks to Hachette Audio for the ALC!

Huge thank you to Hachette Audio and the author, Clarence A. Haynes for the opportunity to read this novel in advance of it's publishing.

The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery first caught my attention with the gorgeous cover. Seeing dark skinned black woman on the cover immediately is an add to cart moment. TGoGM is a genre bending book that combines Magical Realism, paranormal elements and urban fiction all in one with many queer identifies. This book is billed as a fast paced soulful, culturally rich ghost story that blends Afro-Latina heritage, ancestral magic, and complex relationships. I found this novel caught me off guard at the start because there were some events that happened that were unexpected and I had to regain my footing. However, as I continued to read and got to know the characters and their motivations better I was able to connect with the characters more. Fonzi has got to be my favorite character because he is misunderstood and truthfully walked on by his ex because he is a kind soul. I have felt like Fonzi is my own life many times so I connected with him so much and I was so happy to see him grow into himself throughout the story. The element I loved the most was the occult, I have a fascination with occult things (which is hilarious since I am very much not into any religious practices) but I loved learning about mediums throughout this novel. This one really kept me on my toes and I appreciated the dabble into some tropes and genres I typically don't read.

Ghostbusters with Yoruba roots.

(Tbh that sentence is enough for me to wanna read this book)

But if you need more.

Gwen is a publicist at a super well known company and is killing her job. She’s excellent at finding talent and getting them cool events that no one can stop talking about.
At her latest event. A fashion show. Everything goes terribly wrong think buckets of blood and writing on the wall. Her past has finally caught up with her.

Meanwhile Fonsi a medium with a proclivity psychometry that is really just wanting love and looking in the wrong places. His ex boyfriend just broke his heart and he is lonely af. When his powers are telling him SOMETHING IS WRONG.

I loved this. It was a little campy, funny, sometimes intense and very entertaining.

Thanks to netgalley and hachette audio for an alc

The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery is a sexy, compelling story that drew me in immediately. This thriller/ghost story mash-up is exhilarating and eerie, keeping my attention throughout its entirety, and the audio narration is superb. I highly recommend this smartly written adventure!

I've never read anything like The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. Clarence A. Haynes has written a fun, campy, emotional, intimate, punch-y, daring, love letter to legacy, family, destiny, and the love and purity born from African Traditional Spirituality.

Gwendolyn and Fonsi are Afro-Latinx cousins who have grown apart due to a dark night in their shared past, thrust back together as odd and off-putting, at times dangerous events begin occurring in New York City. Even though Gwendolyn is a high-powered publicist at one of the most popular and daring media companies she isn't able to put a spin on what's happening. A secret that Gwendolyn has kept after running away to make a different life for herself is that she and Fonsi come from a line of mystical practitioners and each have a special gift that has been passed on to them. Over the years, Gwendolyn has secretly sustained her relationship with a deity that has guided and protected her over the years, and realizes her gift is indeed a gift she must use as signals of faith and gratitude.

I adored Gwendolyn. I thought she was smart, adaptable, unselfish, and endlessly interesting. She is dynamically crafted with pieces of the person she wants to be, the person she used to be, and the person others expect her to be, fluidly navigating which version of herself she needed to be at any given time, which was fascinating and much appreciated in an urban fantasy. Fonsi's queerness and spirituality are literally intertwined throughout the story and I laughed, rooted for him, and hoped for his liberation from the things that weighed him down. He wasn't just a typical queer sidekick who is quirky and gets into situations, he was dedicated to growth and self discovery and seeking love and support and he was such a relatable character because of it. It was so nice to root for two protagonists in a story equally, and to be able to see their humanity and imperfections and want them to win anyway.

I feel like I've said too much, but I was so pleasantly surprised by this book and it will stick with me for a while.

The audiobook was spectacularly narrated, each narrator breathing life and warmth into Gwendolyn and Fonsi's POVs.

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Legacy Lit, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC and ALC!

5 ⭐️s
1 🌶️

The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery weaves together the story of Gwendolyn, a well-established New York publicist who has created the ideal life for herself, and Fonsi, a queer physic who can communicate with the dead. When the barrier between the living and the dead begins to think, they're forced to work together to reverse it.

I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. The story unfolded really well and was easy to digest and understand. The ghostly elements were really interesting and creepy and crazy things happened from beginning to end. I think it's a well-written and fun story that most people would enjoy. Honestly, the only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is just that a horror/thriller isn't my favorite type of story lately but I really have no issues with this one. I even liked all the characters in this novel. They felt fully fleshed out.

As far as the audiobook of this goes, I think the duo was great. Both narrators made the characters come to life and the pacing matched well.

Overall, this will be an amazing read for someone who loves a fantastical story or a mystery. I think it'll still be an entertaining read if you don't like either.

Celebrity publicist, Gwendolyn Montgomery, seemingly has it all, but when mysterious and horrific occurrences transpire during events she planned, it seems that her fall from grace is imminent, and her secretive past could be to blame. Across town, Fonsi, a sweet queer owner of an occult store must urgently search for his cousin to stop the thinning barrier between the words of the living and the dead. When their worlds collide, will it be enough to save their city and the world beyond?

I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend this book! I received an advanced audio copy from NetGalley, and both narrators were excellent.

For me, this book had it all: strong female characters, magical realism, a diverse cast, love, mystery, a range of sexual identities, cultural mythology, and a bit of the occult/horror! I was hooked from the beginning and will look for future pieces by this author!

This audiobook grabbed me like a cursed heirloom passed down from a great aunt who dabbled in witchcraft and emotional trauma.

Gwendolyn is out here juggling demanding clients, looming deadlines, and an existential crisis — and now she might be haunted too? Honestly, same.

The AfroCaribbean and Queer representation? Chef’s kiss. Authentic, natural, and we love to see it. The family drama was spicy enough to warrant a popcorn bucket, and watching her team up with her estranged cousin to deal with literal ghosts from the past? Emmy-worthy content.

The narrators slayed. The energy? Immaculate. It felt like listening to a paranormal podcast hosted by your favorite chaotic besties.

If you're in the mood for a short, hilarious, spooky story with heart and sass — this one’s hauntingly good