Dead Poets Sorority has such a fun and quirky premise a gothic sorority, spooky rituals, and even a ghostly love interest. The idea of a student journalist uncovering a secret society resurrecting long-dead literary icons is intriguing and original, and it sets the stage for a playful blend of dark academia and paranormal romance.

That said, while the concept hooked me at first, the execution didn’t always land. The writing style was wordy and at times difficult to follow, with long run-on sentences that made me reread to keep track of what was happening. The pacing also felt uneven; some scenes dragged while others moved too quickly, leaving me with unanswered questions about how the magic and ghostly rules worked.

Character-wise, I enjoyed Emma’s humor and the light, campy moments with Nate theres a chaotic charm to their dynamic but the romance sometimes felt underdeveloped and a bit forced. Side characters also came across flat, which weakened the story’s emotional pull.

Still, there’s something endearing about how weird and whimsical this book is. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and if you’re looking for a light, spooky-season read with gothic vibes, mischievous energy, and a campy paranormal twist, this could be a fun pick.

Not a dark academia novel but more a paranormal rom com that doesn't quite hit all the notes, Emma is a student journalist looking into a sorority which claims it has been able to raise the spirits of literary icons. And then Nathaniel, a poet, appears and Emma finds herself in a relationship with a ghost. This didn't live up to the potential of that scenario but it's got a positive vibe. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

If you want to read a book that is dark academia, fun and doesn't take itself too seriously, this is the book for you.

I am obviously NOT the target audience for this, and although I read it, I don't think I could say that I enjoyed it.

Having said that, I think this is going to be very popular.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the arc!

I share many of the same thoughts as those who gave a similar rating as me, so I’ll only share my main points.

I wish the author had focused more on “show, don’t tell.” As a result, I couldn’t connect with the characters and thus couldn’t fully immerse myself within the story. Similarly, I felt that the romance between Emma and Nate was underdeveloped in the beginning and so felt forced as the story and their relationship progressed.

I was excited to read a whimsical gothic academia romance, but the inconsistent pacing got in the way of the story properly hitting any of those marks.

Dead Poets Sorority is a delightfully off-the-wall paranormal rom-com with a wild in concept, fun in execution, but not without a few bumps. Emma, a sharp and determined student journalist, goes undercover in a secret sorority that literally summons dead poets and accidentally calls forth Nathaniel, a charming, old-school romantic ghost. Their banter crackles and the surprisingly bold spice makes their chemistry shine, though Nathaniel’s limited emotional depth sometimes dulls the impact. The story thrives on chaotic fun think ghost cats, cursed rituals, haunted Greek life energy, but leans into quirk so hard the worldbuilding and third-act structure occasionally wobble, leaving more questions than answers. Still, with witty dialogue, dark humor, and a spooky small-town vibe reminiscent of Bunny, this is a fast, cheeky read perfect for anyone craving a light, magical romp with plenty of mischief and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Sofia Shelley for providing this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You know, maybe if my sorority was dedicated to summoning dead poets from beyond the grave, I’d have fonder memories of my time in it.

In all seriousness, this was a cute way to start off spooky season. While at times a bit disjointed, the stakes were low enough I didn’t care TOO much.

I saved this one for spooky season, but unfortunately it was a dnf for me. I didn't pacing was really off, the world & setting was quite confusing, and it felt a bit young for being a dark academia not targeted for YA. This one wasn't for me, unfortunately.

This was such a fun book! I struggled a little at the beginning but I lovedddd the banter and the whole premise of the sorority! I wish I had a sorority to conjure ghosts now, but I’ll def be buying this for my shelf!

thank you so much Avon for this gifted arc

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I loved the concept of this book a college student goes undercover at a sorority which claim to be able to raise deceased poets from the dead. Emma believes they are faking it and wants to expose them but one tipsy chant later she accidentally finds herself with her own dead ghost poet.

I found the pacing to be slow, the side characters were flat. The relationship building between Emma and Nate at the beginning develops a lot off page and is just referred to in passing, I would like to have seen Emma teach Nate about the modern world.

Also inever fully explained what makes ghost Nate able to become fully solid.

I was confused…

I really like the concept but it just didn’t hit the mark with me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This was such a fun, perfect for spooky season, mysterious academic story.

The story is a super unique premise, it gave me vibes similar to BBC Ghosts series but with more journalism and university setting.

Highly recommend this read this September

The concept here is honestly super fun...gothic sorority, weird rituals, and a ghostly love interest, but the actual read didn’t totally land for me. The beginning pulled me in, but the further I went, the more I felt like things weren’t connecting. Scenes dragged, side characters felt kind of flat, and I had way too many questions about how the magic/ghost rules actually worked.

I did enjoy the humor and the occasional spooky-but-playful moments, and Emma’s dynamic with Nate was cute in its own chaotic way. But overall, it felt uneven and left me wanting a stronger plot to match the quirky premise.

Still, it could be a fun pick if you just want something light, weird, and a little bit campy for spooky season.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Love the cover art, really striking! I thought the premise was cool, I just didn’t totally vibe with the writing style! Not for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. They way clothing was described and some slang used felt very outdated for current college students and that took me out initially.

A dark academia paranormal romance is a ton of fun. It's funny and gothic and was generally a fun to read. I do feel like the writing style was difficult to get into and I could see it being a turn off for some.

Dead Poets Sorority by Sofia Shelley is a delightfully quirky gothic romance that blends dark academia with supernatural intrigue. When student journalist Emma goes undercover to investigate a secret society resurrecting long-dead literary icons, she accidentally summons the spirit of Nathaniel Harker, a brooding 19th-century poet. As their connection deepens, Emma must navigate the complexities of love, secrecy, and the haunting presence of her ghostly companion.

Shelley’s writing is witty and engaging, offering a fresh take on paranormal romance. The chemistry between Emma and Nathaniel is palpable, and the novel’s blend of humor and mystery keeps readers hooked. While some may find the pacing uneven, the unique premise and charming characters make this a standout read for fans of gothic romance.

Dead Poets Sorority follows Emma, a student journalist who goes undercover to investigate a secret society resurrecting long-dead literary icons. What Emma doesn’t expect is to accidentally summon her very own love-struck tortured poet, and fall in love with him.

I don’t usually DNF ARCs, but I unfortunately couldn’t finish this one and put it down at 20%.

The premise is intriguing and original, but the writing style didn’t work for me. It felt overly wordy with lots of run-on sentences, and oftentimes a sentence would be a whole paragraph. I found myself having to reread entire paragraphs to work out what was going on, which took me out of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

Something about the writing style of this one just didn't click for me. I honestly just couldn't get through it.

This one was hard for me to get into, and I believe it's the dialogue. I found the narrator to be...annoying. It's a relatively quick and easy read, perhaps I just wasn't in the mood to read about a 20 year old convinced she would get a pulitzer prize for writing about a seance.

I did not find this an enjoyable read. The writing style was overly wordy and the main character had that “I’m not like other girls,” anti-female tone. I loved the premise, but ultimately didn’t love the characters or the writing.

Thank you for the ARC! I had high hopes from the description, but I have to dnf this at 35%. I tried, but the writing style and constant run on sentences had me so disinterested. It was hard to follow and jumps around a ton.

A very poetic story for the love between a young woman and a dead poet. Emma and Nathaniel really were star crossed lovers in this novel. Dead Poets Sorority gave us the drama of sorority life with the whimsical of poetry. There were some lulls in the book but my opinion is that this only happened because most of the chapters are extremely long for my taste. However I was able to put the book down mid chapter and come back and pick right back up where I left. I really enjoyed the love story once I understood to dynamic between Emma and Nathaniel. Overall I really enjoyed the book and would love to read more by Sofia Shelley in the future.