Oh man, I really wanted to like this book.

Oh the surface, Ghost Town has everything I'm looking for in a novel: queer characters and themes, paranormal storyline, horror, ghosts and its a thriller!

...But, sadly, all of this could not make up for what I found to be quite lacking writing. The execution left a lot to be desired, and potentially could have done with a few more rounds of revisions and feedback from critiquing partners. The prose seemed to wander between Y.A. and adult thriller, and multiple times the pacing felt off. It would either drag when it didn't need to or rush through scenes and details that could have been developed and explored more.

I hate to give negative reviews, especially when the book is in the queer AND horror categories as queer representation is sorely lacking in the horror space, but this one just didn't quite cut it for me.

Definitely check this one out! I like how it kept my attention throughout. Haven’t heard of this author until now so thank you NetGalley for letting me check it out

This was a really good story. The main characters were very well written and the storyline was very interesting. This felt like a Science fiction meets gory Murder Mystery Romance to me. I liked the main characters and their relationship was very cute and sweet. The ghost story was spooky and kind of scary and creepy, but I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter of this book. I would definitely recommend this book too my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

This book had a great spooky atmosphere but, other than that, it was a bit of a struggle to get through. There were so many characters that didn't really feel like they were fully fleshed out and, after a while, they all started to feel like the same people. I think that I went into this with very different expectations than what the book actually was. I thought that this would be a thriller or horror story but it felt like more of a romance book targeted at young adults. I managed to finish the book but I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and R.E. Ward for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a creepy and surprising book! I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of ghosts, mad scientists, ghost hunters, and abandoned creepy towns. This is a legit thriller with gore and death. Well done, and a lovely sapphic romance to spice it up.

This was a fantastic, edge of your seat read. One should never investigate haunted places without expected a whole mess of trouble. And trouble, dead bodies, and a slew of spooky are definitely found. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Ghost Town. If you like the paranormal and ghost hunters type of novel this is a good read.
This has a mix of everything Scy fy and a bit of history to boot.
This is a quick read and will keep you engaged till the end. 3 stars

3.5! Ghost Town follows paranormal investigator, Blair Wyndon, as she posts scientific based evidence she collects on the website, SpiritScientific. Similarly, Leif Henderson has an interest in the paranormal, although calls herself a ghost hunter and likes to thrill her audience with a dash of flair (resulting in views and clicks), unlike Blair. Both women (eeeee let's go girls! WLW WOO) receive an exclusive invitation to investigate the famed, privately owned ghost town of Masonville, But, wait!... soon the ghostly mystery turns deadly!!! "omg shock*

Okay I genuinely had fun reading this. Although the rivalry narrative seemed to be ghosted (pardon the pun LOL) and fell flat—they legit only had different styles of investigation/hunting??—I couldn't. put. it. down. This, paired with the fact young love seemed a bit rushed in literature—hell young love in my own life was as well lmaoooo—and they forgot said rivalry and went to lesbihonest and pet names? Give me more hate-wanting, and looks of longing with internal waring pls. Loved the twists and turns. and the creepy atmosphere Ward created. Kinda read like a YA at times due to immature dialogue, although me loves a Young so not entirely mad about dat (I'm also very immature soooo).

We love women loving women, YTG! YEAH THE GIRLS! and yeah the ghosts works as well, lmaooo.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️
👻📹⛺𖤐☠️

Ghost Town is a great spooky read about a group of ghost hunters who come together to investigate a haunted abandoned town. It follows the points of view of rivals, Blaire and Leif. Both have their own way of hunting ghosts, and they clash with the way each other does it, so being forced to be together with a group of like-minded people, they get to know each other a bit better and realize it isn't all just rivalry.

Things go from bad to worse when the first ghost hunter is found dead. Strange things keep happening, and you'll be on the edge of your seat wondering who or what the heck is killing the ghost hunters off one, by one.

R.E Ward writes in a way that keeps you glued to the pages. It was easy to read, it was spooky, and there was a well-written spicy scene. I recommend it to all who love a good sapphic spooky story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldstroke Books for a copy of the ebook this review is left voluntarily.

Wow, an amazing mystery that kept me invested. The characters were great and the author gives out good details about the scary environment. Plus, the author added the enemy to lover theme which added another layer. A great read.

Just finished Ghost Town, and it's definitely a 5-star read! The plot kept me hooked from beginning to end, and even though I had a hunch about the betrayer, the twist still managed to catch me off guard. The romance in the story was heartwarming, adding a touch of sweetness amidst the suspense and horror.

While the book leans more towards suspense and adventure than outright horror, it still delivers plenty of thrills and excitement. The writing style was light and easy to follow, making it a breeze to get lost in the story.

Overall, this book offers a perfect blend of suspense, romance, adventure, and lil bit horror, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a quick read combining elements of horror, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.

I liked the two main characters, Blair and Leif. Their enemies-to-lovers arc felt a bit forced at times but individually I enjoyed their characters.

As much as I live for a queer romance, honestly it was what I cared about least in this book. I was way more interested in the ghost story and figuring out what was really going on.

2.5 stars rounded up because it kept me guessing til the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book. This review contains spoilers.

"Ghost Town" is a book that partially surprised me. In the beginning, it was hard for me to get into the story and to adjust myself to the author's writing style. Then, after I had 30 % of the book finished, suddenly I couldn't put it down, until I reached 80 %. That's when the storyline's pace dropped for me again. Overall, I can say that the plot of this book is very interesting, but it is also very foreseeable, and the writing style is not very fleshed out. Without further ado, let's analyze some key points:

The plot: As mentioned, I liked the idea of the book. Lesbian ghost hunters trapped in a ghost town and they have to solve a mystery to get out, whilst one by one their crew is diminished due to paranormal circumstances? Count me in. However, what made the story very boring for me in the beginning and in the end, was that some things were very easily guessable. Such that Gen was one of the bad guys. It was too on the nose for me, all facts pointed to her and her general suspicious behaviour. Then there was the romance between Leif and Blair, which was of course obvious to happen, but foreshadowed so heavily, that at one point I got quite exasperated with that. Nevertheless, as mentioned, from 30%-80%, the book does pick up speed and I wasn't able to put it down, because I wanted to know how Tannincorp was involved in all of this and what kind of experiment the ghost hunters were a part of. Overall, 50% of the book were unfortunately hard to get through, whilst the other 50% were surprisingly easy to read.

The writing style: Was not my cup of tea. What I noticed was that many of the same words were used frequently after each other, without being replaced by other words of the same meaning. That to me made the reading experience less enjoyable.

The characters: They were all mostly endearing. Especially the representation of deaf people and the use of ASL language was very refreshing and I liked it a lot. Abe is everyone's sweetheart and mine as well.

The setting: Was really good. I liked the old manor they stayed in as well as the depictions of the woods. It set the scene nicely for the horrors that were happening.

The ending: Some questions of mine remained open, such as why the bodies of Jessica and Ivan didn't decompose for days. And why, in the end, Blair and Leif would want to return to Masonville even though Blair mentions that she has episodes of PTSD.

Overall, the reading experience was 50% not my thing and the other 50% quite entertaining. I give one star for the general idea & the setting, one star for the characters, and minus three stars for the writing style, the foreseeable plot twists and the fact that this reading experience was at times quite bumpy for me.

A paranormal investigator and a ghost hunter are invited to explore a famous ghost town. Blair is analytical and scientific, while Lief is wilder and seeks sensation. Naturally, they've been butting heads and bickering, but stick together when things turn sinister. I liked both MCs, even if Lief can be a bit immature at times. Though the focus is more on ghosts and gore, their romance is a bright spot in midst of the dark ghostliness.

But I wished it took more time for them to switch from enemies to lovers. They're quite sweet together, but more tension/intimacy would've made their romance stronger. I truly enjoyed the mystery, it's creepy with some good twists. A solid sapphic ghost thriller, though the writing can be a little inconsistent.

Blair Wyndon and Leif Henderson might both be paranormal investigators who want to show the world that ghosts and paranormal activity really do exist, but beyond that they have very little in common. While Blair likes to confront her paranormal work with research, science, and facts, Leif likes her videos to be flashy and entertaining. So, when Blair, Leif, their personal crews, and a few other paranormal hunters are mysteriously invited to a well-known but highly guarded and evacuated ghost town on the pretense of trying catch paranormal activity, everyone jumps at the opportunity. Although Blair and Leif do nothing but butt heads when everyone first arrives to the ghost town of Masonville, they quickly have to look past their differences and start working together when more sinister activities begin threatening the stranded group's lives. Only time will tell in this fast-paced sapphic mystery/thriller if Blair, Leif, and their friends will be able to figure out the mystery of Masonville and escape with their lives and sanity intact.

I am an avid reader and big fan of sapphic novels and thriller novels separately so I was very excited to see Ghost Town by R.E. Ward combine two of my favorite genres. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I thought Blair and Leif really complimented each other well and it was sweet to see their relationship change and develop throughout the story. While I loved the two main characters, I was also drawn in by the supporting characters and the plot. While it took me a little while to get into the story and keep everyone organized in my mind at the beginning (I had to keep reminding myself who was a part of which group), I was quickly drawn in and found the book difficult to put down once the first major incident happened. I was also able to predict part of the ending/reveal, but I feel like the author did a good job of providing enough subtle clues to make that possible. I also appreciated that, even though I might have known “the who,” I had no idea what “the why” was until the end. While I would have liked the ending better if it had been a little more realistic, this is a paranormal book after all so I cannot fault it for not catering to my personal preferences. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a paranormal mystery with sapphic main characters.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of Ghost Town in return for my honest review.

This review will be posted to the page for Ghost Town on Goodreads and StoryGraph

When reading the synopsis of the book, I loved that it seemed like it was going to be like an episode of Ghost Hunters. I was definitely intrigued and loved how it kept you guessing at each turn.

I loved the different personalities of the different Ghost hunters who were sent to Masonville and how they ended up working together. At first I thought Leif and Blair were going to be constantly against each other, just because of their rivalry and causing people to pick sides. But I was happy they were able to put that aside and work together to get their proof they needed.

I definitely enjoyed this book.

A really gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to look out for more by this author.

A really nice queer paranormal romance! Perfect for my ghost hunting loving heart!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for giving me an arc!

A very entertaining and well plotted queer paranormal romance: enemy to lovers, ghosts, skeptics vs believers, humour.
I loved it and had fun, hope to read other books by this author soon
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

{4,5} stars

I am a huge fan of queer romance, any paranormal stuff and especially enemies to lovers. This book delivers ALL.

Blair Wyndon, Ghost Hunter, is determined to prove that ghosts are real. She and a group of ghost hunting vloggers receive invitations from a company to stay at Hastings Manor; a historic estate known for paranormal activity. Little do they know, things do not go their ways, and they are suddenly forced to bond together for only one goal: staying alive.

The plot and plot twist were extremely smart. The author was throwing little ides here and there, a small hint to what was about to come that you only understood after the big reveal. I definitely loved that aspect.
The romance was also very sweet, a bit rushed in some parts, but if you don't like a slow enemies to lovers, this one's for you.

The only things I'd day I was not a fun of was the dialogue sometimes. I was surprised to find out they were adults because they talked and made the decisions of fresh teens. Perhaps some parts kept repeating too much, but other than that, it was fine.
As for the writing, I personally liked it. I was easy to read through, and the plot being so engaging made me finish it quickly. Even thought the writing was pretty plain or simple, I LOVED the descriptions of the gore. They were so well-written it made me picture every scene perfectly. Huge fan of that.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and also for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance!