Kate Collins has been a paramedic for fifteen years,she loves her job,she loves helping people and saving people's lives. She also loves her boyfriend Scott,in fact she loves him so much that she is prepared to transfer from Leeds to Brighton and move in with him.

Only when she arrives at her new home,there is no sign of Scott,he has completely vanished along with all his possessions. The only thing that Kate finds in his deserted flat is his mobile phone.

Soon after,Kate starts receiving sinister phone calls,are they really threatening or is someone trying to warn her that her life is in danger? what has happened to Scott? Does his brother Ray know more than he is letting on? The mind blowing truth is totally unexpected,shocking and very chilling.

This mesmerising thriller has chapters that alternate between the early days of Kate and Scott's relashionship and Kate's obsessive quest to find out why Scott has vanished and where he had gone. The story is voiced from Kate's perspective,a wonderful character who had some complex issues including one that many many people have no idea that they suffer from,a addiction to social media. The obsessive need to check how many likes,shares and comments we have received on our various social media sites. An obsession that resulted in a bad incident whilst Kate was at work and caused her to do a self imposed social media detox. I really liked Kate's character,I loved her feisty attitude,her wonderful sense of humour and her battle of wits with her conscience. There was not many secondary characters in this story but the ones who had more input into events were Kate's best friend Izzy, Scott's brother Ray and Tyler,Kate's work partner after she moves to Brighton. Vivid characters who I didn't think were very likeable for various reasons.

Ghoster is a extremely well written thriller that has laugh out loud moments and moments that chill you to the bone. It's a totally enthralling mix of thriller,mystery,romance and the supernatural that had me hooked in from the first page,right through to the chilling conclusion. I genuinely didn't want to put this book down. Worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended

Kate Collins thinks she’s found her perfect man in Scott but a few days before she is supposed to move in with him, he ghosts her, leaving behind only his mobile phone.

She wants to find out what happened to him, so she hacks his phone. Her life starts to spiral of control, can she stop what’s happening before it’s too late?

Ghoster is one of those novels that you go in expecting one thing only for it to twist around and become something so unexpected and shocking that you find it hard to put down.

It starts out as a little domestic noir but the creepiness is really amped up as you go along, turning the book into more of a horror by the time you reach the end. As a lover of both horror and thrillers I really appreciated this.
I didn’t find Kate all that likeable, a little abrasive, a little obsessive but I think that works well in the story.

Truthfully, the first half of the novel is a little slow burn, it took me a little longer to get through it than usual but the second half had me racing along to find out what happened at the end.

Ghoster is a skillful mix of the supernatural and mystery that makes an intriguing and original thriller.

Ghoster was the first Jason Arnopp book that I'd read, now I am in desperate need to read The Last Days of Jack Sparks because this author knows how to create a mind absorbingly captivating psychological horror fiction that will make you jump with surprise. We've all been there, met someone that we *really* like, we think the feeling is mutual and then like in a puff of smoke, they Houdini out of our lives - no over explained message, just gone. Most of us may have moan over a glass of wine to our mates, but we aren't Kate Collins. Kate Collins is in love and she knows that her new boyfriend would never just ghost her messages and calls. Would he?
I was lulled into a complete false sense of security, Kate was *that girl* who just doesn't get the hint, originally she felt to me naïve and needy but that turned pretty damn quickly when I begun thinking if I could actually trust her? Jason developed a character that I didn't know if I liked or didn't - that is one of the main things that sucked me in to the storyline. If you're like me, you are a bit of a scardy cat when it comes to reading horror, Ghoster burrowed itself under my skin where it still makes me goose pimple now. The eerie atmosphere is a subtle one, you can feel yourself being pulled into a storyline that feels like watching a massive train crash in slow motion, if you could pause it to catch your breath you would, but you can't and you keep watching until it collides... even then it's seared into your eyes, as you sit unblinking, shook.

There are times throughout the read where you do get a little giggle, for example "Spank my ass and call me Alabama" had me sniggering more than it should, Ii even highlighted it on the kindle! But there were also literary images that had me scooting further under the duvet cover - i'm not going to quote any of these because i'm just not BUT it definitely got the heart rate up, could that count as cardio? Another mystery that echoes throughout the book apart from the missing boyfriend is why Kate has such an avoiding attitude to technology and social media - that kept me hooked like a fish on the line, I was addicted to the crumbs of personal information that were sprinkled to us throughout the plotline.

Ghoster is a brilliant hybrid of psychological and supernatural, the perfect balance of thrill and fear, Jason's writing is alluring with times of sadness, unreliability and not even kidding - so many WTF moments, edge of seat reveals and quite frankly when you get down to the bones of it, a very thought provoking read. I can't fault it, the psychologically bendable pretence will have you wanting more, brilliantly written and chillingly great. I recommend, especially for this Halloween season.

Wow Ghoster is quite an intense, addictive, creepy read which was very difficult to put down. It’s going to be a difficult book to review as I don’t want to give anything away!

I think what makes this book so interesting is how realistic it seems as we are all guilty of spending too much time on social media and perhaps sharing too much. This book perfectly shows how important it is for people to feel accepted on line, how it feels to get a like, a comment or even a follow from someone. It gives you a boost even if you don’t want to admit it and can help with low self confidence or mood but therefore can make a person more vulnerable as their new found self is linked to their on line presence. I found this quite thought provoking as I’ve read a lot about how it is damaging society and particularly the young. It made me wonder how much danger we are a opening ourselves up to.

This book was very fast paced and gripped me from the start. The narrative manages to be both hilarious at times but also quite scary as the book continues and the reader is made more aware of what’s going on. The descriptions are very vivid and made me feel like I was actually there alongside Katie experiencing everything alongside her. It’s not a book to read on your own and I found myself sleeping with the light on after reading or questioning shadows and noises. I always think it’s a sign of a great book when the author can get in your head that way and make you think about the book long after reading.

The tension in the book slowly builds as we learn more about the characters past and about Kate & Scott’s relationship, becoming ever more sinister and creepy until it seems like a completely different book from about half way through. There is lots going on to keep the reader absorbed in the story but the reader is kept guessing about what is going on until the end if the book which I thought was cleverly done. I had lots of theories but didn’t guess how the ending which I always enjoy.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orbit for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

With its dark twists and turns Ghoster by Jason Arnopp took me in a direction I just didn’t see coming. It definitely has a Black Mirror element, which is especially evident when you reach the chilling ending. Crikey, this is a novel that makes you think.

Ghoster is Kate’s story. After a whirlwind romance with Scott she agrees to move from Leeds to Brighton to be with him. However the day before she’s due to move Scott ceases all contact with her. Wanting to believe he has not ‘ghosted’ her, Kate moves to Brighton regardless. When she arrives at his flat to move in with him she finds not only him gone but the flat empty, unfurnished with no power. The only thing remaining is Scott’s smartphone.

Kate hacks into Scott’s phone to try to discover his whereabouts. This is extremely dangerous for Kate as she has a severe phone and social media addiction which has resulted in devastating consequences in the past (which are revealed midway through the novel). But when Kate hacks into Scott’s smartphone what she discovers is a lot more sinister.

Ghoster is a very modern horror story focusing on our addiction to our mobile phones and social media. I hope to God it is an exaggerated portrayal of phone and social media addiction because if anyone in reality is addicted as much as Kate is, that is truly worrying!

There’s no doubt about it, Ghoster is a thought provoking novel. But for me I also found it frustrating – mainly because I found Kate so annoying. I just couldn’t take to her; to me she came across as immature and self involved. Her backstory is pretty traumatic which explains her needy insecurities but she annoyed me that much I just couldn’t empathise with her. Nor could I relate to her in anyway.

Ghoster is getting rave reviews with loads of people loving it. The plot is unique, thought provoking and unexpected. But for me personally it just wasn’t quite to my taste. But then I’m not a massive fan of Black Mirror either and Ghoster definitely has a Black Mirror feel about it. So you never know, you may love Ghoster…

Ghoster has left me wondering why I’ve not read any Jason Arnopp’s books before. What a gripping action driven story this book is. I was hooked from the very first page when we follow a story told in first person through the eyes of Kate. Who is obsessed by Scott’s phone. You’ve all heard the saying curiosity killed the cat. This is what this book is all about. The more Kate finds on Scott’s phone the more she wants to know.

Social media plays a big part of this story and I always say it is the route of all evil, when it comes to relationships. The author has used this and brings us a chilling, twisty gripping read. I found myself shouting at Kate because her obsession became my obsession. I was dying to know what had happened to Scott.

There I was thinking I had it all worked out, then I was thrown off track when the author adds a twist that I was expecting. If you’re looking for a story that is full of twists and turns and totally addictive. Then this is the book for you, which I highly recommend. This story will blow your mind!

Thank you to Tracy Fenton for a copy and for inviting me to take part on this epic tour.

You know a book is brilliant when you’re that into it, a knock on the door by the postman scares the life out of you and you jump. Yes that happened. After reading quite a creepy part.

Ghoster is brilliantly written, fast paced and I flew through it! It’s creepy, full of suspense and made me tense, it had me on edge in parts. I had to feel sorry for Kate for what happened to her the poor woman, if that was me I would have gone back home. But she’s a determined character refusing to leave.

I loved how in the story she talks to herself or her thoughts are there for us to see. Parts of the story are in a text message format which I loved too. I don’t know if it’s just me but the fact there was no electricity in the flat means she was in the dark made it even worse for me. Will she ever find out where Scott has gone? She has plenty of clues to go off…

A well deserved five stars from me. Highly recommend! Loved it. Brilliant. Really enjoyed it.

Well what a roller coaster ride this turned out to be. Nothing like I expected, it had me utterly gripped, although only in the daylight hours. Reading this one at night didn’t work out too well for me!

The Story

At the start of the story we meet Kate, a paramedic in Leeds. After a whirl wind romance with Scott she agrees to move in with him in Brighton. The chapters move back and forward through the past and present, this is very easy to follow as each chapter heading has a date.

When Kate arrives in Brighton, she finds Scott’s flat completely empty, except for his phone. Opening that phone, however, to find out what happened, is not a simple thing for Kate. She has a serve social media addiction. Opening that phone leads to places she doesn’t want to go. Her best friend Izzy is severely injured because of Kate’s phone obsession.

Never has the phrase stuck between a rock and a hard place seem so accurately used.

The Characters

Kate is obviously our main character and the book is told from her point of view. I did find her a difficult person to gel with. She’s very self-absorbed and her focus isn’t always in the right place. She’s also very down on herself, there is a lot of self-loathing there. There are things alluded to in Kates past, but we never really get a clear idea of what they are. This did bother me slightly, I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle.

Her best friend Izzy provides some much-needed light relief, she’s funny, think dark humor and balances out Kate’s character nicely. She doesn’t seem to hold a grudge over what happened and genuinely seems to have her friend’s best interests at heart.

Scott we only see from Kate’s point of view and the things we find out from his phone. There are things that ring alarm bells right from the beginning though. What was his motive? Why did he never introduce Kate to his friends and family? Love some instant intrigue in a book.

Things that go bump in the night

Okay so about a quarter of the way through this book takes a turn. If you are easily spooked this may not be for you. Jason has a skill at weaving the creepy into a book and I don’t mind saying this book kept me awake at night. It’s so well done it will have you doubting your own senses. Many times, I found myself thinking ‘what the hell just happened?!’

My imagination has been running wild after reading this book and I love it when a book can do that to you.

Final Thoughts

This book reminded me, in a way, of an Aesop’s fable, all be in a terrifying not to be read in the dark, kind of way. A lesson in social media and smart phone obsessions and what path that can lead us down.
This book is deliciously dark, utterly creepy and I couldn’t put it down even when I wanted to. If you like a thriller, a mystery, the paranormal you are going to love this. Just strap on your big girl/boy pants first! If you need me, I’ll be under the blankets recovering in the corner.

My thanks to Tracy for my spot on the blog tour and to the publishers for a copy of the book. As always my reviews are 100% honest.

Kate is really excited to move in with her boyfriend of four months, Scott. She’s already given up her apartment and her job in Leeds and all her things are packed up for her move to Brighton. There is only one problem: where is Scott? He hasn’t responded to any of her calls or texts and when she arrives to his apartment in Brighton, she finds it completely empty. The only thing left is his phone. In her search of Scott and the truth, Kate becomes completely obsessed with his phone and uncovers a truth that it is much darker and creepier than she may have imagined.

Ghoster was quite a ride of a read!!! It was nothing at all what I expected! It’s chilling, mysterious, highly suspenseful, and original. The author masterly mixes supernatural elements, thriller and our obsession with technology and social media creating a story that it is original and unpredictable. I loved how the author used different timelines and different perspectives. The story is told from Kate’s perspective, but thanks to her snooping inside Scott’s phone, we also get a deep knowledge of this character. Also, I enjoyed switching between the present, as Kate tries to figure out the truth, and the past, how Kate and Scott met and their first few months together.

The characters are multi-layered and well-developed. I liked Kate. She has conversations with her brain who tries to show her the rational side of things, while she is very impulsive, something that gets her often in trouble. We meet Scott only through Kate’s eyes and his phone that seems to hold all his life inside, and he is very difficult to figure out and very complex.

Ghoster is thought-provoking, weird, and engrossing with its unique plot and combination of different genres and I enjoyed every single page of it until the very shocking and twisty ending!

If like me you are not totally up with social media you will be interested to know that ‘ghosting’ is when someone cuts all social media ties with you, and this is the premise for this book. Kate has given up her job in Leeds to move to Brighton and move in with her boyfriend Scott, but when she gets there the flat is empty; no Scott, no furniture, no note. All that she finds is his mobile phone which she finds on the balcony. This is her only link to Scott and of course she unlocks the phone and reads all his social media, and finds things she can’t explain. Add in strange phone calls, marks on the door that resemble scratch marks and the feeling she is being watched and you have a fast paced, tense, dark and totally creepy thriller.

There aren’t many books that make me go OMG (or WTF), but Ghoster did that when I had read the last page. I couldn’t believe where this book went, and was trying to explain it to my husband and daughter even though they are non readers (shocking, I know). Jason Arnopp keeps the tension throughout as he slowly reveals details of Scott and his life, and then just over half way through the book turns on its head so to speak. Sinister and twisted is an understatement in this case and I’m glad I wasn’t reading this in the dark on my own. Kate is the main narrator so it is through her eyes the story unfolds. We also learn more about their relationship and how Kate and Scott met as some of the chapters go back to these events.

Kate seems to have had a difficult past but has done well for herself in her job as a paramedic for fifteen years. She has had addiction issues around social media, becoming obsessed with a past lover and no longer has a smart mobile phone, so Scott’s phone is like the forbidden fruit to her, and one she cant resist. She has the pressure of a new job, with a new partner Tyler, who she doesn’t completely trust, the feeling of being watched and sees strange things so it is no wonder she starts to question her own sanity. As we watch her life spiral out of control you begin to wonder just how much is true, and if she is loosing her mind which adds to the suspense of this book.

Ghoster is a deliciously dark thriller that completely messed with my mind, in a good way. When you start this book be prepared to be totally consumed into Kate’s story and will find it hard to put the book down. The plot took me to places I never expected to go and the build up to the twisted conclusion left me with shivers down my spine. You can probably tell I thought this an extraordinary read and it was; Spine tingling, shocking and seriously sinister, a fabulous read.

If I asked you whether you had ever been ghosted, would you know what I was talking about? Unfortunately, like Kate Collins, I have been ghosted before. In fact, I’ve been ghosted several times. Ghosting is basically talking to someone all fine, and then the next you never hear from them as though they have disappeared off the face of the earth. And the thing is, there isnt usually a reason as to why that happens…well, aside from the ghoster being a doorknob that is. It is a horrible thing to happen, so yeah, I did of course sympathise with Kate! She was about to move her entire life into her boyfriends flat in a mere 48 hours and yet he goes completely off the radar! Who does that?!

Mind you, my sympathy towards Kate only lasted for a short while. Personally, I dont get why she went along with the move if she was unsure and hadn’t heard from Scott. I know that she wanted answers but it was abundantly clear that she wasnt going to get any! I understood her frustration, it’s really not a nice position to be left in, especially when the ghoster ended up making up his life as he went along.

I couldnt tear my eyes away from this book. The storyline was so twisted, so addictive, and yet I still couldn’t help but think ‘what the f…… am I reading?!’. The plot starts off believable, but ends up being so far fetched I’m still undecided as to whether it worked or whether it just made everything spiral out of control.

The topic of social media is incredibly rife in this book, and yes it will probably make you start checking, double checking and triple checking all of your security settings across the platforms. It is an unnerving read, its also a chilling and pretty disturbing read.

I did enjoy the book, to a point. I mean, Jason Arnopp can clearly write and sure knows how to create a memorable tension between his characters. I appreciated those elements of the story, I really did. As for the whole supernatural, farfetched parts? I didn’t hate them. Would they have worked better in a different storyline instead of cramming everything into one? Most definitely!

I wont be forgetting this in a hurry, that’s for sure!

Thanks to Tracey @ Compulsive Readers and the publisher for my spot on the blog tour and a copy of the book. My review is unbiased an honest. I’ve been lucky enough recently to be on some pretty amazing blog tours and the books have mostly been 4 or 5 star reads, and Ghoster is no different, another 5-star read. Ghoster brings to the table an original plot, well executed characters and the opening chapter leaves you gasping for more. I knew this was going to be a great read, but I wasn’t prepared just how much this book was going to have crapping myself. This book reminds so very much of the eerie suspense master Alfred Hitchcock.

Have you ever found yourself ghosted? Luckily for me I think I belong to the last generation that grew up without the level of technology that is available to children and young adults as there are now. If we wanted to communicate with someone you would need to use the landline phone…yeah old school. I think now it’s just far too easy to just go incommunicado. This is the first time that I have read about ghosting in a novel and this one especially was unique. Instead of just moving on after being ghosted, the whole scenario turns into the main characters worst nightmare. This book is definitely competing for my top book of the year. I loved every single twisty moment of Ghoster.

“Of course, here I am, positioned smack-bang in the middle of all the other limbo ladies. Schrodinger’s twat.”

These are the types of lines you’ll get in this novel; the dark comedy makes you laugh even though you know you shouldn’t. The novel is told in Kate Collins perspective. Kate is a young paramedic who falls for the enigmatic Scott, an IT guy. We have the excitement of being asked to move in with after a whirlwind four months. It develops very quickly into the cold reality that Scott has left her high and dry. The main theme tackled in this book is addiction to social media and porn. It really highlights the toxicity of the impact these play on our lives. How many hours do we waste just mindlessly scrolling through our online friend’s life updates? Minutes turn into hours and then you don’t know how long has passed. Surely, we could be spending our time far more productively. The author examines just how social media and the internet can destroy lives, its greyness there for all to see.

Sarah is devastated when she faces the reality of being ghosted. Scott’s flat has been emptied, all but a ghoulish drawing on the window, and his phone. Sarah is hesitant to pry into his phone, she has detoxed from her dependence on social media and knows it would be a slippery slope. She’s angry, she’s hurt, and she needs the evidence of him being a lousy human in order to move on. She hacks into his phone.

I love Kates character. I think she resembles a bit about all of us. Who can actually say these days that they don’t spend excessive amounts of time being transfixed to the internet. She knows her faults and she owns them. She takes decisive action to remedy her mistakes and the guilt she feels is insurmountable. She’s about to come across some extremely hard truths in her journey for the truth. Is Kate going to be able to escape that truth when she does finally get it?

The other theme in the book is a supernatural element, which I loved. Now the way in which the author introduced this had me seriously crapping myself. The narrative build up was so quietly suffocating I found myself putting on the big light in the lounge, no way would I read this in the dark. I found myself looking over my shoulder. It had my heart beating at an erratic crescendo, I found the sweat beading at my neck more, I was gripping the book in my hand harder and I was willing everything to be alright. The writer is a master of suspense. He had my flight or fight response kicking into the fastest gear.

Kate investigates Scott’s phone…there are worrisome signs. Some seriously disturbing looking porn videos, hundreds of photos of women and men, tinder and WhatsApp messages and the scariest of them all a double encrypted diary app that has some concerning titles. Can Kate the evidence she needs to put her feelings to rest for Scott, or is she opening up a whole new can of worms? This book is addictive, the storyline, the characters, the atmosphere. I couldn’t take my eyes off it for even a moment. The author is a blatant escapism artist. I literally felt like I was living between the pages.

As the book progressed you came to realise that something very wrong this scenario. Disappearances that don’t make any sense, videos that creep you right out and a presence that makes you doubt all you know about existence. Each clue leads Kate down a deeper and darker path that she’s not sure she can escape. The story becomes claustrophic in nature as it gets ready to suck the life from you. The writing was truly exceptional with the feelings that he teased from you, the mind games he had you partaking in and the general feeling of unease than was skulking around every corner.

Twisted, ruthless and without remorse. Ghoster will have you craving more. All thriller lovers need to make this their next read

Ghoster is the most impressive contemporary horror tale I have read. It also seamlessly blends the traditional themes of a strong horror tale, loss, isolation, obsession, terror and paranoia and drops it into a modern day tale with social media, smart phones and our societies expectations. Clever, chilling stuff.

Kate Collins is looking for her soul mate. On Valentines Day she is browsing Tinder looking for possible matches when one profile picture leaps out at her. This guy has a handsome but vulnerable look and Kate feels an immediate connection. She clicks on the super-like and waits. And waits. But when she gets a like back it is not from the guy she clicked on. Instead she ends up with a disasterous match which subsequently forces her off social media.

In a bid to purge her obsessive online fascination with her ex-boyfriend’s activities Kate books into a weekend retreat digital detox clinic. Also booked onto this course is Scott, the handsome guy she had Super Liked on Tinder. He doesn’t recognise her, why would he? But Kate certainly recognised him and over the weekend the pair find themselves drawn together and they seem to click.

Moving forward a few months and Kate is leaving Yorkshire to move to Brighton where she is moving into Scott’s house. She has given up her paramedic’s role in Leeds and making full commitment to their deepening relationship. So imagine her horror in arriving at Scott’s house to find it entirely empty. No Scott, no furniture and no indication as to where he may have gone. Scott has totally vanished. Is he Ghosting her? Is he dead? Has she been dumped or is she the victim of an elaborate hoax? Kate’s life is in turmoil and she has no idea where to turn. The only clue she may have is that Scott’s mobile phone is found hidden outside his flat on his balcony. Can Kate somehow piece together the life Scott was leading while she was still in Leeds?

Narrative swings between the current day as Kate tries to juggle her investigations and her new job in the Brighton paramedic team and then back to six months earlier as we read how Kate and Scott’s relationship grew while they spent time together.

Kate goes through an emotional wringer and she makes some shocking discoveries about the man she thought she knew but seemingly massively misjudged. Kate needs to know the truth and her quest to uncover Scott’s secrets threaten everything she holds dear. But where is Scott?

I was kept guessing on Ghoster and at times I wasn’t even sure I was reading a horror tale. Well until a ghost appeared that it. Kate’s story was one of loss and personal drama but where does the horror lie? Everywhere. And at times it is so normal I didn’t even see it for what it was.

This is sublime, clever and chilling writing. Ghoster is a modern horror classic. If you love this genre then you need to read this book.

What to say about Ghoster? I picked it up expecting it to be one thing and it gradually turned into something else. I really enjoyed reading this it is one of the more unique books I have read. I loved the supernatural element and Jason Arnopp is an excellent writer.

Kate was supposed to be moving in with her boyfriend but he has began ghosting her and she becomes more and more desperate to hear from him. Kate was a strange character for me, at times she seemed so sensible and then she would do something and I would just think why would you do that? She made some strange decisions at times. With the help of her friend, Izzy, she sets out to find out where her boyfriend has gone and what he is up to.

Jason Arnopp has written a novel that highlights how much people can be completely wrapped up in the online world. Kate certainly has an issue with this and was obsessed with checking her ex boyfriends social media, resulting in her being throughly distracted in her job as a paramedic. As a result of this she went on a digital detox, but now she is getting sucked back into it to find out what is going on with the man she is supposed to be moving in with.

Ghoster is a interesting, thought provoking read. I haven't read any of Jason Arnopp's work before, but based on Ghoster I would certainly read more. If you enjoy a mystery with some supernatural thrown in then this is a book you will want to add to your list.

I read this book whilst on holiday and that turned out to be a mistake! Ghoster gets into your head and whenever I wasn't reading I was thinking about when I could get back to reading, even whilst floating down a river in a waterpark ha ha...
I felt that the protagonist, Kate, was very relatable and likeable. The start of the story sees her just about to move in with her boyfriend but he seems to have ghosted her. We then progress through the story of her moving to his apartment and trying to figure out what's happened to him. But we also have flashbacks/memories of how they met and their relationship building up to the move. The timeline jumps confused me at first as I couldn't remember the dates of what had just happened so I couldn't put things into perspective and make sense of things initially. But I soon got to grips with it all.
What I loved about Ghoster is that it keeps you guessing. Just as you think you've figured out what's going on your theory is destroyed and you're back to having no clue again. This made me want to keep reading to find out what ACTUALLY is happening. Did he leave her? Has he been murdered? Are other people missing?
There's also a small side mystery of her colleague using his phone for something potentially sinister.
I really enjoyed this book and all the way through it was easily a 5 star but the ending made it a 4 star. I had gone in to the book not knowing much about it and it felt like a psychological thriller for the majority and I believe it would have been more thrilling and scary if it had stayed this way instead of heading in to the ultra paranormal. However, I still highly recommend this book to horror/thriller fans.

A genre defying read which had me guessing to the very last minute. An up to date cautionary tale about the perils of modern living and the over use of social media.
In a world where people have distanced themselves from reality it seems that anything can happen!!

When Kate agrees to move in with her boyfriend, Scott, she knows she's taking a risk but when he stops answering her calls and texts just a few days before she is due to relocate to Brighton to be with him, she has no idea of the nightmare she will soon find herself in. It quickly becomes obvious that she's had a troubled relationship with social media in the past and as a result has swapped her smartphone for a basic Nokia. However, then she finds Scott's mobile and realises it may be her best chance of finding out why the man who seemed so keen has suddenly ghosted her.
Ghoster is mostly written from Kate's first person perspective and it would be fair to say that she is an intriguing, rather flawed character. It's easy to sympathise with her predicament but she does come across as rather self-obsessed at times and there are times here, as in the past, where she is guilty of putting her own needs before others, even if it puts them at risk. That said, she is also disarmingly self-deprecating, particularly in the conversations she has in her head and as the main voice in the novel, she is a fascinating character throughout. There are also chapters which reveal more about the early days of their relationship which, when juxtaposed with Kate's discoveries, ensure that what initially seemed a passionate romance gradually becomes something apparently far more sinister. However, Scott's point of view is also represented later in the book and this benefit of hindsight adds an intriguing and shocking dimension to this twisty thriller.
This could have been a straightforward domestic drama about how a woman responds to being ghosted but it quickly become evident that it is far more than that and that there are other less easily explained elements at play here. As Kate begins to look through Scott's phone, she discovers he doesn't appear to have been honest with her right from the start but his lies turn out to be the least of her problems as strange things begin to occur and she starts to suspect that somebody is guilty of foul play. Ghoster's multilayered plot means it is unsettling for a number of reasons; the mysterious scratches on the frame around the door, Kate's suspicion that she is being watched and later the weird sensations she experiences before she sees some terrifying visions are all enough on their own to make this a chilling story. However, what is perhaps just as disquieting is Kate's descent into obsession and what it eventually does to her.
Jason Arnopp has written an unnerving social commentary about the pervasiveness of 21st century addictions and the desire to make connections with people who are behind screens and not necessarily their true selves, and this is perhaps more frightening than any paranormal element. It's worth saying too, that although Ghoster is undoubtedly a dark and disturbing read, I also really enjoyed the sardonic humour which is woven throughout the story. I wasn't surprised to discover that Jason Arnopp has co-authored a Black Mirror tie-in novel because that's what Ghoster reminded me of. Uncomfortable, provocative and utterly compelling, this is the sort of book which stays with you long after you've finished it.

A gripping modern day ghost story, found this at times hard to read perhaps because I find myself looking at my phone more than with people next to me. A telling critique of where the world is going.

I was probably the biggest fan in the world when it came to Jack Sparks so take it as read that when Ghoster dropped through my door it was, erm, read.

Shortly thereafter I locked my mobile phone in a cupboard and there it stayed until the random buzzing drove the rest of the household mad so I had to gingerly retrieve it.

Ghoster is a modern day tale of social media obsession and possession- it insightfully explores the realities of being electronically attached 24 hours a day then spins a cautionary tale of woe around it’s main protagonists.

Occasionally slightly nerve wracking, often downright disturbing and certainly one of those that creates the need to jump out of your skin every time you catch something from the corner of your eye, Ghoster is a brilliantly written, darkly ironic fable that will mean you sleep with the lights on.

Absolutely fantastic. Highly Recommended.

Kate Collins, a paramedic meets her perfect man, Scott at a digital detox retreat. After a few months of dating, Scott asks Kate to move to Brighton to live in his cool flat complete with a sea view.
But in the days leading up to Kate's move, she can't get hold of Scott. He doesn't answer her texts and she starts to feel uneasy. Having already committed to moving, and reasoning he could maybe have lost his phone and not have her number saved anywhere else, she arrives in Brighton. On going to his flat, she finds it empty - all his possessions have vanished except for his mobile phone abandoned on the balcony.
Kate reasons it is perfectly acceptable to look at his phone - to see what he has been up to on Tinder, Facebook and Twitter. But then spooky things start happening. She gets strange whispering phone calls from number she doesn't recognise. Scratch marks on the front door she can't explain. And an unmistakable feeling of being watched...
Kate is the main character in this book and the story is told from her point of view. She has given up her smart-phone after her colleague and best friend Izzy is injured and Kate blames herself, having been distracted by looking at her phone when she should have been working. I liked her as a character and her friendship with Izzy is great.
I can totally understand some people being addicted to mobile phones and apps (I look at my phone far more than I should) and it was an interesting study on how our lives are ruled by these devices and the apps on them - always looking for affirmation from our followers. I did feel Scott having a diary on his phone (for Kate to find and read) was maybe a little unrealistic and was a little bit too convenient for explaining his point of view and the plot.
Having not read any of Arnopp's work before, I was surprised I found this so spooky! I certainly wasn't expecting the supernatural direction the story took and I really enjoyed this element of the story. I also loved that it was set in Brighton which was my home town for a number of years. I really liked recognising pubs and restaurants I'd been too and I might have added one or two to my list of places I want to go.
Certainly a memorable read, it was both thrilling and eerily unpredictable. I really want to read The Last Days of Jack Sparks now!