Smart, witty, romantic and ghostly? Yes Please!!!! Fantastic read I did not want to put down. There's nothing better than resurrecting long since dead literary icons.

Dead Poets Sorority by Sofia Shelley but a quick, fun read about Emma, an undercover journalist who goes underground to get into the Dead Poets Sorority, led by Kimberley. Emma accidently summons Nathaniel, or Nate, a 19th-century poet, who also happens to be love struck with her and wants to learn all about his new surroundings, especially Emma. This is where there love story develops. But this is also where the story dissolves. I was really challenged by feeling like we were being only surface level information about our supporting characters, especially Kimberley, and it left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Emma Reeves, a determined student journalist, takes on an unusual assignment to go undercover in the Dead Poets Sorority. Expecting a harmless group of students dabbling with Ouija boards, she instead discovers a house steeped in crystals, pentagrams, and a deep devotion to reviving literary icons from centuries past.

One night, curiosity and a few beers lead Emma to accidentally summon Nathaniel Harker, a brooding and charming poet from the 19th century who never quite reached fame in his lifetime. Now she is caught between an irresistible connection with her ghostly companion and the story that could define her career.

Sofia Shelley blends humour, romance, and just the right amount of gothic charm in this witty and heartwarming tale. Nathaniel’s old-world elegance contrasts beautifully with Emma’s sharp modern perspective, creating a dynamic that is as entertaining as it is romantic. The author’s love of graveyards shines through in a way that turns a place usually associated with loss into one of hope and possibility.

This is a delightful read for anyone who enjoys quirky romance, literary references, and a touch of the supernatural. The ending is especially touching, offering a sweet and satisfying close to a story that celebrates both love and second chances.

3.5/5.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt the pacing was completely off, and it was all tell and no show. Ultimately, I couldn’t force myself to finish it unfortunately.

The story moved way too quickly. I needed more time to connect to the characters, and get a sense of Emma’s true motivation as the main character. We are told more about what she wants and why she wants it, then we are shown through her experience or actions. As a reader that is always a turn off for me.

I couldn’t get a grip on who any of the characters actually were. Emma, tells us about who all of the other characters are, but we really don’t get to know them in any significant way through their actions or individual voices. The male love interest, Nathaniel, appears suddenly with no tension. How can Emma, who hates sororities and doesn’t believe in anything she is seeing, suddenly bring a dead poet back to life? That’s a bridge too far. Why would she even try to bring back a dead poet? Does she even care about poetry? How does she know the spell to even start the process? She’s only seen one ceremony and she was distracted throughout it. Her motivations aren’t clear and neither is the narrative.

If you like your books to be pure fluff, and don’t care about accuracy (historical or contemporary) this book might work for you. The author certainly has the moody fall vibes down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I did enjoy how silly and fun this book was, I'm still left wandering what actually happened during large sections of it.

The premise is daft but I had a good time. Nate and Emma's relationship was very insta-love and pretty predictable but I knew what I was getting in for. The side characters were interesting but got zero development. I don't think they were introduced well either, as I got no real sense of her they were.

The chapters were fairly long (or at least they felt that way) and jumped about a fair bit, trying to fit a lot in. This meant that the only focus was the relationship and I got no real sense of who Emma was outside of that, which is a shame as it undermined the fact that she was meant to be a strong, independent woman.

A lot of the storyline felt quite superficial with a lot of filler, so I ended up not entirely sure how things had worked out the way they had. I also wanted to better understand the sorority and Kimberley, but that was all surface level too, which was a shame.

I also need to understand the rules of ghosts in this world. How could he have a reflection? How could he wear real clothes but disappear while wearing them? How could he have sex? So many questions.

If you don't overthink it, this book is good fun, but I just wanted a bit more depth so I didn't finish it and go "huh?"

I DNF'd this about two chapters in. Definitely wasn't my vibe and I found the dialogue really cringey. I saw a few decent reviews so maybe I'll revisit it eventually and power through, but life's too short to spend time reading things you don't want to. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Really well executed with a fun, unserious plot and plenty of romance.

I enjoyed the writing style and the plot. It was a fun read with a great concept that was pulled off really well.

Lots of people have likened this to Bunny and I would definitely agree - just with more of a magical twist.

I loved this one! It had fun, academic vibes with a secret society-like sorority full of mystery. You follow Emma, a young girl accidentally falling in love while trying to carry out more tasks than any college student should.

I loved the chapter number art.

I also enjoy how the author tied her love for graveyards into the book. It made the ending really sweet and heartfelt in a place usually reserved for loss and heartbreak. A place to start anew rather than a place of finality.

Hm. This book should have worked but perhaps I just was misaligned with its sense of humor? It wasn't that I wasn't finding the humor funny, I didn't understand it at all (I'm a Millienial if that matters). I think this book is actually more niche in terms of audience than I realized. So I will take the blame for diving into something that was wrong for me from the start and give it 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I really wanted to enjoy this one, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and the narration style didn't quite work for me. I found the main voice a bit grating at times, which made it hard to stay fully engaged. I can definitely see how others might connect with it more, it just wasn't the right fit for me.

Dead Poets Sorority delivers on its promise of a fun, gothic concept. Secret societies, campus intrigue, and literary nods that feel tailor-made for dark academia lovers. The atmosphere is rich, and the setup is compelling.

That said, it took a while for the story to really find its footing. The plot doesn’t pick up until about halfway through, and by then I struggled to feel truly invested in the characters. Both the character development and pacing felt a bit undercooked, which kept me from fully connecting.

Still, I think readers looking for a moody, murdery campus read with a splash of poetic flair will enjoy the vibes. It’s fun, fast, and has a great aesthetic. I just wish it had gone a little deeper.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Emma writes for her school paper and gets handed a huge assignment—go undercover and dig up dirt on the Phi Omega sorority, specifically its queen bee, Kimberly. Sounds simple enough… until she accidentally summons the ghost of a dead poet named Nathaniel. Yep, things get weird fast.

The story mixes humor, romance, and chaos in a fun way. Emma’s juggling act between school, friends, love life, and her undercover mission is a hot mess (and relatable). Her time management? Not exactly award-winning. I really liked the tension between Emma and the people in her life—Vivian (her best friend), her editor Erin, her ex, and of course, the mysterious Kimberly. But the highlight for me was definitely Emma and Nathaniel’s unexpected bond—it was sweet, quirky, and kind of magical.

That said, the story didn’t fully hook me until about halfway through, and there were a few plotlines that felt a little rushed or underdeveloped. Still, it was a light and entertaining read overall.

Unfortunately for me this is a DNF at 50% in.

I think it is a great concept, but the writing is so chaotic I really struggled to keep up with what was happening, who was who, and any thoughts the characters were having. Due to this I couldn't seem to get a proper grasp of the characters so didn't feel attached to any of them in any way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, Dead Poets Sorority ended up being a DNF for me around the 30% mark.

I was completely on board with the concept—secret societies, summoning dead poets, a ghostly love interest? Sign me up, girl. But the execution just didn’t live up to the premise. The writing style was odd to say the least. Every paragraph took a detour through five different thoughts before landing back on the original idea—if at all. I found myself rereading entire sections just to figure out what the point was, which quickly became exhausting.

Immediately, I had a feeling this book wouldn’t be the one for me. I unfortunately was correct. I loved the premise and was excited to read, as I have read books with similar plots.

The writing style was too wordy, and I often found myself skipping whole paragraphs that added nothing to the plot. I also found some of the references to be quite cringy, and I couldn’t decide if this book would have been better marketed as a young adult novel for all of the Gen Z slang.

By herself, I did not connect with Emma, I found her to be whiny and stand-off ish. For all of her talks bout being Vivian’s best friend, she dumped her quite quickly once initiated into the sorority. Quite quickly, Nate is summoned, and from that point on, I could tolerate Emma. I liked the romance between Emma and Nate. The flirting and pining was the highlight of the book for me. I loved Nate’s character!

The ending was quite predictable. Having read enough magical romance novels, this is not surprising. However, the epilogue felt out of place. I am unsure if there will be a sequel to this book, but the only purpose I could see that epilogue serving is setting up the next book. In any case, it was frustrating to read a chapter without any previous connection to Vivian throughout the entire book.

Overall, this book had promise, but it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this before release. Unfortunately it wasn't for me. The writing style was like a constant subconscious stream of text and I found myself losing the point of the original text.

There were some parts that I found funny, I liked the idea of two different styles but I struggled to finish it.

I had really hoped for more from this book but I just couldn't get past the writing style. I'm an English major who was in a sorority so this book seemed custom written for me. However, the writing just pulls you from the story and the romance between the characters wasn't enough to save it.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Dead Poets Sorority by Sofia Shelley

Emma, senior at Inerius U, is a reporter for the college paper, The Actum. Her editor puts her on assignment to go undercover at Phi Omega sorority house in the hopes of exposing head sister, Kimberley Welles, as a fraud who “summons” dead poets. When the hand-written, all-black invitation to move into Phi Omega house is hand-delivered to Emma, there’s no turning back.


2 ⭐️

With some vague talk of magic, Emma finds herself capable of summoning the dead by herself. Enter: Nathaniel Harker, poet, who seemingly comes and goes as he pleases but is ultimately bound to the building. The pair navigates their relationship while Emma juggles her task at-hand with sorority pledge duties.

I didn’t love the writing style and felt that it was almost over complicated. I enjoyed the idea of the storyline but felt that it wasn’t well executed. Unfortunately, this fell short of my expectations.

Dead Poets Sorority is a witty and darkly funny gothic romance that perfectly blends dark academia with romcom charm. Student journalist Emma Reeves goes undercover to investigate a secret society of college girls who claim to resurrect long-dead literary icons. Instead of boredom, Emma accidentally summons Nathaniel Harker, a brooding 19th-century poet who is handsome, funny, and very much dead.
As Emma grapples with her unexpected ghostly companion, she finds herself falling for this tortured Romantic figure. But danger looms when the sorority sisters begin to suspect Emma’s secret. Balancing humor, mystery, and romance, Sofia Shelley delivers a unique tale about love that transcends the grave and the risks of protecting the ones we cherish.

Emma writes for her school newspaper and has been given her biggest task yet. She is to go undercover to spy on the Phi Omega House. She is specifically supposed to expose the head of the sorority, Kimberly. This story is full of humor, lighthearted moments, and love. Emma struggles with her relationships and how to fit everything in. Her time management skills definitely need some work. She thinks infiltrating the sorority will be easy until she accidentally summons a dead poet named Nathaniel. Emma's conflict with her best friend Vivian, her boss, Erin, Kimberly, and her ex were some of the most interesting parts of the story. My favorite part was definitely the relationship between Emma and Nathaniel. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the book really picked up until about halfway through, and there were many plot points that I wish would have been fleshed out better. All in all, it was a fun read.