This was a solid ghost story, nothing more nothing less. I enjoyed it and it kept me hooked. I would've liked a little more depth in the characters and the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ghost Town
Nick R. Anderson
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Angel just learned she’s dead- and now a ghost. A ghost who was murdered, with no memory of who killed her or how it happened. In the afterlife, she’s welcomed by Suzanne from the Ridgecrest Ghost Society (RGS), who helps her adjust alongside other RGS members. Meanwhile, Detective Steve Hoffman begins investigating Angel’s disappearance after her best friend reports her missing. But Steve is also coping with the disappearance of his own teenage daughter, Ashley, taken just a week earlier. Could the two cases be connected—or is it just a coincidence?

I’ll be honest—I didn’t have high hopes when I started. The opening felt like it might lean cheesy (and at times it did). But somewhere along the way, the story got me. The characters were genuinely likable, each with their own charm. I especially loved Bill’s punny jokes. While I wouldn’t call this horror (I never really felt the book was aiming for scares), it was emotional, funny, and surprisingly moving. Some moments had me giggling, others had me tearing up. And the ending? I broke down.

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I put this book off for a while after getting it, but I finally picked it up this week when I’d been feeling let down by other reads. I’m glad I did - because it feels like I was meant to read it right now. Toward the end, one of the ghosts communicates with their loved one, saying they’re safe, happy, and always watching over them. In that moment, the ghost says:

"Tell her about how we skipped class sophomore year to go to Deek's Record Store, and we bought cigarettes."

My father always called me Deeks, for as long as I can remember. My sophomore year I was constantly skipping science class. My father passed away from stage 4 lung cancer in September 2021, after being diagnosed just a few short days before. It was quick and sudden. Every year around this time, I feel the weight of those “lasts” - our last family trip, my last birthday with hearing him wish me a happy birthday telling me he loves me, the last time he hugged me, called me, his last heartbeat. Reading that line felt like a small way of him letting me know he’s okay, happy, and still watching over us.

As cheesy as it sounds, I needed that reminder this week.

Thank you NetGalley, Xpresso Book Tours, and most of all Nick R. Anderson for this story. It came at exactly the right time. I recommend it.

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This was a good ghost story that kept me entertained. I would have loved to learn more about the other ghosts in the book. The book was fantastically paced, though I would of liked to see more about the bad guy being a bad guy. I would definitely read another book if it involved more of a backstory.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

Ghost town felt amateur. I used to grade essays for junior high students in creative writing competitions, and that is what this felt like. The characters and writing feel completely undeveloped. The plot could also use more depth. This feels a bit like a YA novel. Could be great if the author baked the idea a bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review!

A young woman wakes up one morning and realizes something isn’t right. Turns out, she died a few hours ago and is now stuck in the world of ghosts.

This was a very quick read because it was a novelette and also because i flew through it. I just had to know what was going on. A lot is packed into a short book, but everything flowed very well and i was absolutely hooked. The characters were very diverse, everyone had their own little backstory, and i really liked how imaginative it was. Extra points since i live near this area, and a lot of the descriptions felt familiar to me.

Because it’s a novelette, a lot was not expanded on, but rather just quickly mentioned. im a sucker for long chonky books, so i feel like some more information would have been great too and would have felt less rushed (for example, the scene with the police towards the end).

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a modern ghost story. Truly a different take.

Spooky, Stylish, and Surprisingly Heartfelt

Ghost Town is like if The Sixth Sense and Veronica Mars had a ghost baby in 1991 Seattle. The story follows Amanda “Angel” Taylor, a young woman who wakes up dead (yep, dead) and stuck in a spectral limbo. She doesn’t remember how she died, but she’s determined to find out—with the help of a ragtag crew of ghosts and a grieving detective whose missing daughter might be connected to Angel’s fate2.

The vibe is eerie but not overly grim, and the ghost world is full of quirky, unfinished souls who add some levity to the darker themes. There’s a solid emotional core here, especially in the way the book explores grief, memory, and the idea of justice from beyond the grave.

That said, the pacing can be a little uneven, and some of the twists feel a bit telegraphed. But the atmosphere? Chef’s kiss. Think foggy streets, flickering lights, and secrets buried deeper than the town’s cemetery.

If you’re into supernatural mysteries with a touch of heart and a dash of dark magic, this one’s worth checking out—especially for fans of The Lovely Bones or Midnight Club–style storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Shades of The Lovely Bones as ghosts manage their afterlife while trying to solve the mystery of their own disappearance and save the next victim. All is not as it seems with unbelievers and betrayals, but the team of unlikely ghosts is on it, learning about themselves along the way. Sometimes heartwtenching and utterly bittersweet, an emotional and mysterious read.

This book was decent, but it left me wanting more. So so so much more. The concept was cool, although it’s teetering on being like School Spirits, except he’s trying not to come off like he is imitating School Spirits.

The “plot twist” was so obvious I figured out who was causing problems instantly. They MC had limited depth, until the last like 10 pages? Then all of a sudden she’s trying to get deep and give herself a personality?

The concept was cool though, the writing was though. I mean this in the nicest way possible, I’ve read better things on ao3 and wattpad…I felt like it was forced to wrap up too quickly, the characters spoke in odd ways, lacked any real depth, there were some borderline blasphemous lines which I didn’t like, but at least the book wasn’t littered in plot holes so kudos.

All in all, it was a cute and heartwarming book. Maybe if I was in high school I would’ve enjoyed it more

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you so much to Slasher Shack LLC, Nick Anderson and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a 3.5 star read rounded up to 4 read for me. At its core, this is a heartwarming story about love and family. The synopsis doesn’t fully convey the YA vibe of the book. It reads like drama rather than mystery. The cast of characters is relatable. Ultimately, the writing style took me out of the story at times with a conversational & clinical narrative voice. It’s written in 3rd person limited POV from Angel’s perspective. I wish I could have felt Angel’s inner turmoils, frustrations with her situation, and her eventual adjustment better through the storytelling.