80’s Ghosts offers a compelling blend of paranormal investigation and 1980s nostalgia. The novel follows a team of ghost hunters who, despite a history of coming up empty, finally encounter genuine paranormal activity while investigating the ruins of a school that burned down in the 1980s, claiming numerous lives. What unfolds is a classic "good ghost vs. bad ghost" narrative alongside an engaging investigation into the tragedy’s true cause.

I listened to the audiobook ARC and found the narration excellent—clear, engaging, and well-paced. It made for an easy, immersive listening experience that I completed in a single day.

While the story includes some unsettling moments, the horror elements remain relatively mild. I would recommend it especially to readers who enjoy paranormal mysteries but prefer a lower scare factor—ideal for those easing into spooky season without seeking intense horror.

Overall, 80’s Ghosts is a satisfying, entertaining read for fans of ghost-hunting themes, supernatural investigations, and 80s settings.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing access to the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was fun and definitely gave the retro vibes but it wasn’t chilling or scary to me. I was sold on the cover and then the ghost investigator plot themes but the execution was a little inconsistent at times. It started off strong with the current filming they were doing but then immediately revealing they fake their investigations took me out of the spookyness. I will also say I appreciated the attention to detail on their tools they were using. Once they got the call about Merlin High School and a chance at a REAL haunting, I was fully sat. For the most part, I really enjoyed this investigation. Each chapter had new history of the school and the whole Chrissy dreaming about the school past was a nice psychological touch and kept me invested to find out what actually happened. At first Bill’s ordeal had me thinking it was a possession case, which would have been so cool but the deeper we dove into the story the more connections started to puzzle together and at times this is where the inconsistencies came through. Also the transcripts were a fun idea but they weren’t creepy or spooky at all and it fell a little flat. These popped up so frequently that it would have been a great spot to add in eeriness or a feeling of ominous foreshadowing but they were more descriptors that felt unnecessary. Things that did creep me out was the first roach nightmare and I will absolutely be checking my straws from now on lol. Overall still fun and would like to read more from this author.

80s Ghost was a fun and creative spin on a classic horror trope. I really enjoyed how the author set the scene—balancing both the modern-day storyline and the 1980s flashbacks in a way that felt seamless and atmospheric. The nostalgia hit just right without feeling overdone, and the shifting timelines added depth to the story.

One thing that didn’t quite work for me was how neatly everything wrapped up in the end. Sometimes I prefer a little ambiguity or open-endedness, especially in horror—it keeps the unease lingering. But aside from that, this was a solid, engaging read that held my attention from beginning to end.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor audio for the Advanced Listeners Copy of this book!

This story was compelling and had me at the edge of my seat! I loved the era the ghosts are from and the setting of 2009 was very nostalgic. While the story was mostly predictable I did enjoy it!

The narrator did a good job as well. It wasn’t my favorite performance but it wasn’t bad!

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing an e-audio version of this book in exchange for my review.

I actually first found this book in the KU program and read the ebook that way. I enjoyed the book, but felt very predictable. It felt super slow. Even if half of the book was edited out, it would still be too long. I really only kept reading to see what was going on with Bill. I saw the Rodney story line coming from page 2. It really was a tragic base story. Maybe my age kept me from enjoying the "trying to make my name as a ghost investigator" aspect.
I enjoyed the audio version more than the ebook because it seemed to go along at a quicker clip, but still felt too long.

If it were a movie, I'd watch it though.

Thanks to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for a copy of the arc.

Bianca Bryans narration style is pretty compelling. Her slow no nonsense style allows plenty of room for the story to build up and lets the frenzy of the climax really shine through.

Her character voices are not the most distinctive especially with male characters but o found myself not minding to terribly.

The story its self was fine but a bit frustrating. This isn’t a unique concept, not really but I didn’t mind that very much. What I did mind is that at sever points we got chances to have something special that just kind of fissile out.

The two boys turn out to be from town? While important to the plot that initial deception is a bit of a nothing burger.

The giant cockroach? Just a metaphor.

The bullying that could have been a parallel to things like carrie? Oh well the main “victim” seems less like a bullied kid and more like a genuine creep who assaults a character with clear sexual intent.

Bill??? Not evil??? but he was totally fine with murder just not his dream girl. We explored that for like a second and then move on.

I would have lived to explore these interesting threads far more then a resolution, feel good ending and stinger at the very end. However I did like it for what it was in Large part I believe due yo the narration

80s Ghosts is a fun ghost adventure!
Follows a struggling ghost hunting team that uses tricks and illusions to get by. Until they get a call to investigate a high school with a tragic history.
Likable characters and a fast paced story! Writing is easy to follow and keeps you interested from page one.

Audio is done well! Clear, understandable nicely paced. Bianca Bryan has a great voice that is not only easy to listen to but enjoyable. A narrator I will be looking for in other audiobooks.

Chrissy, Rodney, and Bill are ghost-hunting team. They are having a hard time getting their online show on the map, and Chrissy's financial situation is getting grim. One morning, the team receives an email via their website about an allegedly haunted high school where a fire took the lives of many students. Despite it being an 8 hour drive away, way out of their usual area, Chrissy wants to investigate. She has to put her team on the map or face moving back home, a failure. She insists they investigate, and eventually both Rodney and Bill cave. Once they arrive in Merlin, Chrissy just knows that this will be THE ONE. However it just might be more than they bargained for...

I love those movies where ghost hunters who have been faking their hauntings finally get to a truly haunted place and all hell breaks loose. And it just tickles me when I find books that are similar. I enjoyed this one, but it was not my favorite. Is it possible to have too much backstory?! I just felt like the author was stretching it a bit with 2 of the backstories. (Staying vague to avoid spoiling.) One I could've and would've bought, but the second... Otherwise, the story was entertaining.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

I REALLY wanted to love this book because I love the genre and the time period but it just didn't get there for me. If you are someone new to the horror/haunting genre, this might be for you, but as someone who reads a lot in this genre, I found this a bit bland. I'm still giving it a 3 because I did like the writing and I liked the premise. It just didn't come to fruition for me.

Reading 80s Ghosts felt like reading an adult R.L. Stine. Like a cheesy 80's movie with a modern twist.

The suspense is well written. It enhances the scenes and kept me engaged in the story. The descriptions are imaginative and fill out the scenery in a way that made it feel like I was watching a movie.

I did find that the plot was predictable, but in a satisfying way. I wasn't disappointed by any of it with the exception of the antagonist. I didn't really like that villain was typical teen outcast. I felt like there were just a few to many stereotypes being stacked into his character. But even with that complaint, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.