I really enjoyed this book! I loved the ghost hunter aspect and thought it got even better once pieces started clicking into place! I did figure out a couple of the big twists ahead of time, but that didn't take away from the thrill of the story.

While it was a good listen, it gave monotoned. I liked the book but at times I was zoning because I feel it carried on. Love the 2000’s vibes it gave and the characters, Bill was my favorite 🫣😅

While it wasn’t full out scary or creepy it a good job at the ghost hunting setting.

I tried, but just could not get into this one... I think the 1980s nostalgia writing thing is officially overplayed for me. While I am continually drawn to the concept, as a child of the '80s myself, I have been disappointed in the last several iterations, which have felt repetitive and oddly uninteresting. I found this one a bit flat. I couldn't connect to the characters and the dialogue felt a little stilted - the '80s and '00s were not THAT long ago and people really didn't talk or interact THAT differently. I am in the minority but just couldn't get into this one...

80’s Ghosts was a good read. I did get some Stranger Things vibes mixed with Ghost Adventures and Goosebumps. This story was entertaining and even though some of the plot was predictable there were enough “omg” moments that kept me intrigued and going til the end.
The story follows a team of ghost hunter vloggers who investigate the paranormal when they get a case regarding a high school where many children were killed in a fire back in the 80s, hence the name of the book. The vloggers aren’t usually believers in the supernatural, that is until now because of strange occurrences including the FMC having vivid dreams about the kids from the fire who she has never met and secrets that start revealing what really happened in the school all those years ago.
So get out your Aqua Net, tease up your hair, pop a cassette in and feel the vibes of the 80s while falling into this story.

Lawrence’s debut has been given narration! 🗣️

Imagine if Mystery Inc. merged with Ghostbusters and had a baby with Buzzfeed Unsolved. That’s the vibe here.

What could go wrong filming a ghost-hunting vlog in an abandoned 80s high school?

Everything.

When some low-budget vloggers with questionable instincts film in a school abandoned after an ’80s tragedy, their “ghost episode” turns into something far too real.

Cue baron hallways and revenge served with a sense of someone watching from the shadows.

There’s something so right about an abandoned 1980s school. Rusted lockers, faded Trapper Keepers, that one weird smell that all school basements have. Lawrence milks that setting for every bit of spooky, nostalgic charm.

The group’s on-camera antics are a great mix of cringe, charm, and classic horror-movie bad decisions. It’s like watching your friends try to ghost-hunt and get absolutely wrecked. It’s more nostalgic of the 2000s than the 80s and the spook factor is limited.

The characters are nothing to call home about but 80s Ghosts is pure fun: a ghost story wrapped in paranormal chaos, lit by a flashlight, and narrated by people who absolutely should not be ghost hunting. It’s campy, a little creepy, but knows exactly what kind of story it’s telling.

The audio narrated by Bianca Bryan was not my favorite way to read this one though. While it wasn’t horrible or even bad per se, she didn’t give it the vibes it deserved. Her narration took away from the eeriness significantly I’m afraid. Not bad for the dialogue but the narrative itself was off.

It’s the perfect book for when you want a haunted house story though that doesn’t bite but makes you feel warm and cozy inside if that’s a thing. It should be.

This is a great one for fans of fast, fun horror, anyone who ever thought “we should totally do a ghost vlog!”, and people who still have an emotional connection to mall food courts.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — 4/5 for the story
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ — 3.5 for the narration

This was pretty good. I really enjoyed the spooky element and the narration was done really well. I will say, I was intrigued that I fell asleep with my ear buds in because I just couldnt stop listening! If you enjoy ghost stories with a dark background, I recommend this one!

The year is 2009, and Chrissy is running low on funds, hoping to cash in by monetizing her YouTube ghost hunting show. Chrissy has two other people on her team, a cameraman (Bill) and a fellow ghost hunter (Rodney).

Chrissy is not having much luck catching an actual ghost on video, until she receives a solicitation to do a paranormal investigation at Merlin High School where 67 students died during a tragic fire in the 1980's.

Chrissy is thrilled with this turn of events, seeing this as her way to break into the ghost hunting business, but her colleagues are not as enthused and need to be cajoled into visiting. We learn later why both of them were reticent to do this ghost hunt.

Through flashbacks, yearbooks, videos, and dreams, we see what life was like for the high school students, which is a nice touch. As an 80's baby, I loved reliving the Aquanet years of my life!

I don't want to give too much away, but Chrissy and her team finally do encounter some real paranormal activity, beginning about halfway through the novel.

I consider this to be a bit like Blair Witch Project meets The Lost Village by Camilla Sten.

There is a nice-wrap up at the end, which I like in paranormal thrillers. Oftentimes, the paranormal books end without me knowing if the ghost was real or not, etc. And that is frustrating for me!

My only challenge with this book was the coincidences with her fellow ghost hunters. It would be one thing if the school that burned down was local to them, but it is 8 hours away, so it seems unlikely that both of her coworkers have a connection to the high school.

I recommend 80s Ghosts if you liked the 80's or ghost stories! Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC Copy!

This book was released last year, but the audiobook will be available soon - 8 July 2025. I loved this book, I love the cover, the storyline, the characters, the twists and turns of it. It had me gripped wondering what was going to happen next. If you like spooky vibes, spirits, paranormal investigations, then I recommend this. I wanted more, wish it was more scary but l'd say it's definitely 5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Recorded Books for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This ghost story had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next! A paranormal investigation team go to a burned down high school where a tragedy occurred. Strange things begin to happen and you’ll have to read to find out the outcome. This was such a fun and spooky read that took me all the way back to the 80s. 👻

I love this book so much! I love anything ghost hunters related things. The audiobook is perfect for this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with the advanced audio copy of 80s Ghosts.

I really enjoyed this! It was reminiscent of "Stranger Things" meets "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," so it was equal parts spooky and nostalgic. Chrissy, Rodney, and Bill form a team of ghost hunters who film their encounters for a TV show. Chrissy becomes particularly drawn to a case involving an old high school that burned down during a dance, trapping many students inside. Some of their ghosts remain and still haunt the halls of the school, carrying a lot of unfinished business.

"80s Ghosts" was a fun listen, and I look forward to reading more of V.S. Lawrence’s books!

I really liked the set up for this novel. I also loved the groundwork laid in the opening scene. It was a lot of fun listening to a group of semi-fraudulent ghost (excuse me, other sider) hunters investigating a location with mass casualties that took place in the 80s. There was some creepy imagery, some decent mystery, compelling interpersonal relationships, and so on. This was a fast listen.

I do think that this read a little like a YA novel. I can't totally put my finger on it, but I think there was an element of overexplaining or telling-not-showing or something. I love YA, so that didn't bother me, but I was surprised just now when I saw that it was tagged as "adult" on Goodreads.

I'm not familiar with the narrator, but she did a good job. However, I don't know if she, an editor, the software, hardware or something else is to blame for hearing her breathing so much. Everyone knows that narrators aren't allowed to audibly breathe! I thought it was standard to have that eliminated these days.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC! Looks like the book came out last year, but the audiobook comes out July 8, 2025.

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

3.75 stars rounded up

The narrator did a good job not my favorite performance but it wasn't bad! I'm looking forward to this authors next book.

Thank you NetGalley and RMedia for the Early Listening Arc of 80’s Ghosts. The Narrator Bianca Bryan did a good job giving each character their own shine. The story was wild with loads of dimension. It was a very enjoyable read, with the last quarter of the story full of action. When the Outsiders got an email about a school that still hold spirits of the burnt students, the crew goes to do an investigation for their social media podcast. It was kismet the the crew were called there each of them had a connection to the school or the students involved.

A group of paranormal investigators, led by Chrissy, investigate the ruins of an old high school, which was destroyed by fire in the 1980s. It was the night of a school dance and many students did not escape. Now Chrissy and her team are looking for evidence that some of the students never really left. This book has a great setting and storyline, the only offputting piece was the giant cockroach monster. Otherwise this is a fun spooky read or listen for the summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor audio for the ALC of this audiobook.

I liked the idea of this book and was excited to get the audiobook. I thought the dark spirit was well done. The haunting was interesting. Parts were predictable with other characters’ ties to the place and a bit far fetched.

Overall, I enjoyed this and the narrator did a wonderful job.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC or eARC from through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

4/5 stars. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ALC!

This was a fun one! While I found it a bit predictable, it was in that true 80s-ghost-movie style ;). We follow an early 2000s (2009) ghost hunting team starting their vlog and hoping for fame and success. And boy, do they find success in finding ghosts...

Chrissy is an interesting character coming into her own strengths. She insists the crew (Bill and Rodney) go to the investigation at Merlin High, which ends up a real tangled web of history, personal drama, and discovery of hidden potential. I found her to be a little weak as an MC, but overall enjoyed her.

The side characters felt a little one-dimensional, even with their ties to the case. I think that had to do with some of the predictability of the plot. There really wasn't a twist that couldn't be discovered pretty easily. I don't think it tanked the story for me, but it did leave me wanting a little bit more of an Aha! moment. The story itself did take a little while to pick up, but when it did, I found it hard to press pause.

The narration was great, though there is a little bit of a jarring effect when we switch to watching/listening to recorded content due to the timestamps. I caught on quick, but the first "00:15" made me go "huh?" in a way I think reading wouldn't have.

Overall, a fun listen. Nothing groundbreaking or life-changing, but just a good time.

ALC 🎧📖 Review: 80s Ghosts by V.S. Lawrence
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars)
Audiobook Pub date: July 8, 2025.

This was a fun ghost/haunting story that kept me intrigued for the most part. Some parts felt a bit dragged out and repetitive, though. I was hoping for a bit more nostalgia, given the cover and title, but overall it wasn’t bad!

Thank you to @netgalley and @recordedbooks for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

🎥💀👻

The year is 2009, and Chrissy Rodriguez is determined to make her ghost hunting vlog an internet success. She’s only one more failed investigation away from financial ruin and having to move back home. When she receives an email asking her to investigate Merlin High, a school that burned down in the 80s, she is presented with a unique opportunity that could make or break her.

The 80s Ghosts by V.S. Lawrence is a breezy, popcorn horror read. The premise—early YouTubers exploring an abandoned high school haunted by the ghosts of a homecoming tragedy—delivers on its creepy promise with some genuinely unsettling moments and eerie atmosphere.
That said, the writing could’ve used a tighter edit. The prose sometimes repeats itself or over-explains what’s already clear. Still, if you’re in the mood for some quick, retro-flavored scares, this one does the trick.