**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Carmella Lowkis debuts with Spitting Gold, a historical fiction novel centered on two spiritist sisters. Set in 19th century Paris, Sylvie and Charlotte Mothe had built a reputation as spiritists which ended in their abrupt retirement after an incident that resulted in their estrangement. Sylvie married into a title and as baroness Devereaux, she has all she ever dreamed. When Charlotte shows up at Sylvie's home, Sylvie is dragged into one more haunting. The de Jacquinot family has requested their services, but each sitting reveals more and more secrets that all parties would prefer stay hidden.

Spitting Gold is centered heavily on sibling dynamics with Part 1 of the book focused on Sylvie's perspective and Part 2 focused moreso on Charlotte. The secrets within the Mothe family and de Jacquinot family are peeled back in layers with the time frame denoted by date at the start of each chapter. This unveiling of varied pieces of the puzzle is paced slowly, though Lowkis' writing is accessible.

Each character has distinct flaws to them, with no character taking the lead as a clear protagonist. Lowkis takes the time to make each main character accessible enough for the audience to sympathize with their position, while simultaneously making each character (for me, at least) difficult to outright like. Queer character representation was scattered throughout the book and time period accurate difficulties associated with queerness were included.

This combination resulted in a strange duality where I was engaged while reading, but felt little motivation to pick the book back up after I had stopped for the day. While I can certainly respect Lowkis' work, I think this was simply a matter of this not being the book for me personally.

Overall, I was grateful for the opportunity to read Spitting Gold early, and have hope that it will find its target audience.

I was intrigued by the premise of a gothic centering con artists in 19th century Paris. Unfortunately, I'm not the right reader for this book. The pacing is slow and rather tedious, so I just couldn't get into the book.

I like the ghosty meets historical fiction we've got going on here. .A really solid debut novel! I enjoyed the back of forth and "is this place actually haunted or are we just really good at scamming?!" The plot jumped between its multiple conflict a lot that I found myself re-reading to see when it had changed. The sisters relationship was very complicated, it gave me whiplash. There's a lot of characters and I struggled to remember who was who. The ending is kinda sad, but the closure we all needed! Would recommend if historical fiction is your genre. :)

Spitting Gold is a wonderful gothic tale featuring a pair of estranged sisters who had once worked together as "spiritualists." They knew lots of trick, but their mother insisted that what they did was "real" in its value to others. Both of them dreamed of escaping the poverty they'd been raised in. Sylvie, the older of the sisters, remade herself and married into the upper class, determined to break all connections with her family. Charlotte, the younger sister, has been stuck at home trying to care for their violent and volatile hard-drinking father.

The novel is set in 19th Century Paris, with the violence of the French Revolution a constant presence underlying all else. As the book opens, Charlotte has tracked down Sylvie to help her with one last spiritualist con. Charlotte promises that Sylvie will never hear from her again after the con is over—and in a moment of weakness Sylvie agrees to help.

From this point on, Spitting Gold offers one twist after another. Spitting Gold is one of those novels that leaves readers imagining multiple possibilities every to there's a turning point in the plot. And it's not just the plot that surprises. As the novel progresses, the reader's understanding of who Sylvie and Charlotte are changes, a bit like looking through a kaleidoscope—one knows what one's seeing, but it never looks the same from one moment to the next.

Spitting Gold is a perfect read for those times when you want to escape to a world between two covers, leaving the "real" world behind for the kind of world—in deed and feeling—that well-written fiction can offer.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

The ending!? Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor.

While I’m not the biggest historical fiction fan, the description of this book caught my attention. I do love mediums and spiritual findings!

Parts of this book had me completely absorbed.. ie the seances and possessions, and other parts just felt like they dragged on. I found Charlotte to be a great character and I was invested in her story. So that was a plus.

All in all, it was a quick read and fun enough at times to keep pushing through.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Very interesting intersection of spooky mystery, at once intriguing and thrilling, while also firmly grounded in the vulnerability of its characters. The POV switch in the middle of the story is very well placed, and the blurred lines between the spiritual or the conspired are woven quite creatively to tell a tale of reclaiming agency by those whose lives are controlled, upended and traumatized by a patriarchal aristocratic society, even faded and diminished after the revolution. I wish there was a third POV in this, that of Florence's, because this is very much her journey, the Mothe sisters merely being the witnesses to it, while also reclaiming their relationship and agency.

Where do you draw the line when it comes to family?

Sylvie has finally made her way into the upper echelons of Paris society, & in the year 1866 is mostly settled into her luxurious life of being a baroness: but then the sister she cut ties (Charlotte) with comes knocking, & her carefully constructed life threatens to topple unless she can return to the world of fake-seances-for-rich-people to score one last payout. As the counterfeit haunting begins, the question they’re confronted with is this: could there be an actual ghost this time?

This was an intriguing debut novel! I very much enjoyed seeing things from Sylvie’s POV in Part One & Charlotte’s in Part Two - as someone who is a sister & has sisters, I could relate to the way childhood events are seen differently by each sibling. The amount of research that must’ve gone into making this historically accurate must’ve been staggering, & it was bittersweet to read about the way queer people continued to find love in a society that forbade it.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i'm slowly becoming an expert on sapphic historical fiction spiritualist books, idk how I keep finding my way to these books.

thanks to netgalley and atria books for the arc!

there was a lot I appreciated in this book - the structure was very cool. It's basically one story told from two different POVs. The cut over to the other POV was very well timed and placed perfectly in the book. I found the sister dynamic very compelling and though this book lured me in with the promise of a sapphic love story, I was honestly more interested in the sister dynamic (which is saying something).

Obviously, as a lover of ghost stories and historical fiction and lesbians, there was a lot up my alley in this book.

But there was a lot that didn't work for me either.

I think the repeating of the same story in two different POV, though structurally I really enjoyed it, just wasn't executed to my liking. It felt like we were just skimming over the more compelling (and gayer) POV and getting snippets. Especially since there's where the love story and the heart of the story came into play, I thought it was unfortunate that it felt like the sparknotes version. Obviously it makes sense to skim since the reader already knows what's happening, but I felt myself less connected with that section of the story in consequence.

Also [MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW]

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As I've said above, I've read several gay spiritualist historical fiction and not a single one of them is actually giving me real ghosts! The fakeout ghost con is a very popular trope in the gothic literature genre, but one of these times, I just want lesbians AND ghosts. Is that so much to ask for? I honestly felt let down with the reveal of the con job in the second POV.

[OK SPOILERS OVER]

All in all, it's a genre that is close to my heart so I'm probably more critical than others - it was a fun gothic mystery with a side of love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I adored everything just about everything about this book. I'm a huge nerd for the spiritism craze of the 19th century, so I absolutely knew I needed to read this when I read the description, and to throw in a sapphic romance? My goodness, how wonderful. I loved how each sister was given a half of the book written in their POV and in that way we were given information, and that their voices were so distinct from each other. I liked that some questions were potentially left unanswered or up to the reader's interpretation, as I like a bit of ambiguity in my reading. But mostly I just loved this book.

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis is a gothic mystery set in the 19th century Paris of two siblings. This is a good sister vs. bad sister story with gothic elements. But who is good and who is bad is something the reader has to decide.

Baroness Sylvie unexpectedly gets a visit from her sister. Both the sisters have a shady past. Her sister convinces her to participate in one last job for their father. But will this job cost them more than they are willing to bargain?

This story is a gothic mystery through and through with elements of romance and atmosphere. The first half is extremely engrossing, and though the second half falters a bit, it keeps the interest. The author has done an excellent job of highlighting that era's facade of maintaining a family's reputation and dignity at any cost. Especially that of a woman in the name of protecting her even though that protection might be costing her. Also, the same sex romances add to the mysteries. The cover of this book definitely adds to that element of mystery.

Thank you, Atria Books @atriabooks , for this book.

Adored this book! Gave me Victorian Oceans 8 vibes.

I found myself wishing there was more of everything; great debut, will definitely be recommending to my communities.

Two sisters, one dangerous hoax. The dual perspectives kept me reading, the mysterious otherworldly events and motives kept it interesting, and the end was wild. Murder, ghosts, romance, revenge, and more.

This well told gothic fairy tale is a cautionary story of what comes of actions based on appearances.

Set in Paris during the mid-to-late 19th century, we experience love, vengeance and redemption through the eyes of two estranged spiritist sisters. There is Sherlockian mystery combined with Shakespearean tragedy and all the tropes of the Victorian era.

The character development is on point, you care deeply about the focal ladies and their grande plights (with a side of sapphic wooing and cooing that is delightfully coquettish). The settings are portrayed in such detail that they play out during the reading experience as if watching a compelling mind-movie. While more Parisian flair could have possibly added to the book’s supernatural mystique, in all, Spitting Gold is easily a highly recommended novel full of heart-pounding suspense and heart-breaking emotion!

Much appreciation goes out to author, Carmella Lowkis, and Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) for the opportunity to experience Spitting Gold in advance of its May 14th, 2024 release.

Highly recommend this one!! This is my first time reading one of their books but it won't be the last! This book sucks you in from the get-go and you will find yourself thinking about the characters long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and get this book!!

Spitting Gold is set in 19th century Paris and follows two estranged sisters; Sylvie married well and moved up in society while her sister Charlotte was left to care for their ailing father. In the past, they have pretended to be spirit mediums and plan to reunite for one last con to pay for their father’s medical care. These characters are distinct, well-written, morally grey, and I found their complicated relationship dynamic compelling. I felt totally immersed in the time period and the elements of mystery and shocking twists kept me hooked from start to finish. This entertaining historical fiction novel has it all—con artists, forbidden sapphic romance, vengeful ghosts, and so much more. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: homophobia/lesbophobia, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, murder, animal death.


Sylvie Mothe was once a conwoman. Now, she's a Baroness, married to a wealthy man who loves her wholeheartedly -- but knows very little of her past. When the past comes barging back in, in the form of her sister, Charlotte, asking for her help one last time, Sylvie feels she has little choice, stuck between family and her husband, poverty and high society. Their mark is the formerly aristocratic de Jacquinots, who are convinced that they are being haunted by their great-aunt, brought down during the French Revolution. But as Sylvie and Charlotte fall ever deeper into the web that they are spinning, caught up in the dark secrets of their own family and those of the de Jacquinots, they will be forced to confront terrors far worse than ghosts.

A remarkable debut! As soon as I saw this was being pitched as "perfect for fans of Sarah Waters," I had very high hopes -- and speaking truthfully, very high expectations, too. I'm pleased to say that Spitting Gold hit its mark with almost complete perfection for me, full of twists and turns, and dark family secrets that will have you dying to pick it up again once you've been forced to sit it down. The writing is lovely, maintaining a period feeling throughout the book, without ever straying into being too dense or feeling as if the author is trying too hard to impart the sensation that you are reading something set in the 1860s. This is a time period and place rich with potential, haunted (both literally and figuratively) by the ghosts of the French Revolution, the Terror, and France as a rising empire, and Lowkis does an excellent job of making the most out of it.

At the center of the story are the Mothe sisters, born into Paris in poverty, inheriting their family's profession of mediumship. Neither of the sisters have ever seen a real ghost, and are firm skeptics, though Charlotte occasionally finds herself seeking out the other side beyond their cons, hoping to make some connection with their deceased mother. Sylvie is more practical, and it's this practicality that leads her into marrying a Baron and cutting herself off from her sister and father. The relationship between Sylvie and Charlotte is rendered with real emotion and complexity, and speaking from my experience, accurate in its depiction of sisterhood. There is love and tenderness between the girls, but resentment, envy, and sometimes ugliness, and I applaud Lowkis for allowing her characters to be fully realized -- and not always sympathetic.

The de Jacquinots create a fascinating counter to the Mothes, former aristocrats who cling to their nobility and the status afforded to them before the French Revolution. Florence and her brother, Maximilien, act as our guide into the family, and while both of their characters are fully dimensional and interesting in their own respect, their mother and grandfather, Ardoir, suffer some in comparison. They are not focal points in the book by any means, but I think it would have added to the intrigue had they been a touch more fleshed out.

All in all, this was a fantastic debut and perfectly suited to my tastes. I only knocked off half a star for some imperfections that are to be expected in a debut -- some plodding moments, some weak characterization at times, etc. -- but otherwise there are very few flaws to be found here. I cannot wait to see what Lowkis will put out next, and I'm definitely adding this onto my favorites list.

Sylvie and her estranged sister Charlotte come together one last time to pay their father's bills. They are spirit mediums who connect loved ones to their dearly departed. In one last con together, but they may be in over their heads. I enjoyed how this book tells the story from each sisters' point of view. Also, I love a good con. The sinister being that may be haunting them in their last con together was fun and a bit scary. The gothic vibes of this book were enjoyable, and I appreciated the twists in this book! Definitely a great read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon and Schuster for this copy of "Spitting Gold."

To help pay for their father's medical care, Sylvie asks her now-respectably-married sister Charlotte to help her with one more performance as the Mothe Sisters spiritists to help a client to contact a relative that's haunting them.

But when they experience strange, unexplainable events in the client's house, they begin to wonder if the spirit might be real after all.

This was a fun, twisty book told from both Charlotte's and then Sylvie's viewpoints. Each sister thinks they're acting in the best interests of the family and once both sides are explored, the whole story is revealed.

Kudos to a very exciting book from a promising debut author.

What a fun read! I’m a sucker for any book about sisters in the dynamics behind that relationship. Spitting Golf tells the story of two estranged sisters and their past as well as their intertwined connections. The haunting vibes were so good in this book. I already recommended it to my sisters!

Thank you #Netgalley the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun one. Two sisters are reunited and begin to scare gold away from others, only to be haunted by terrors themselves. Entertaining and thought provoking.