A cute paranormal romcom with mental health rep! I do think our main ghosty girlie Ida could have chosen a better modern day boyfriend than Gabriel though.

Read if you like: Casper, Hallmark movies, ghosts that use their paranormal abilities to watch reality dating shows

Thanks to Netgalley and RBMedia for providing me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The story was heartwarming, told with enough seriousness and humor and just a little dash of spice. The dual POV worked for the storyline. Despite being predictable, it was well written and skillfully narrated, which kept me engaged in the story until it was finished.

At best I would say that it was okay.

This book was a perfectly respectable way to pass some time, but it wasn’t much to write home about. Some parts were truly hilarious, but I don’t think that it was quite there for me.

Were I to have read this 5 years ago, I think I would have loved it.

That being said, the narration really made it for me.

Picked it up… put it down…. Picked it up

Not gonna lie, it took me a minute to get into it. We went straight from the court, to straight to the hunted house that the MC is force to for the next 6 months.

This is funny paranormal romance but I really struggled to connect with the characters. I listened to the audiobook thanks to NetGalley and maybe this book I need to read in my own voice lol. I also think the season didn’t help as well. I will revisit it again in the future most likely fall.

3.5⭐

Such a fun, fun read!

Gabriel Vane is a successful lawyer with his dream job, luxury apartment, & a lover - who may or may not be part of a scandal, ofc.
Due to said scandal Gabriel decides to vanish to a Victorian House in a quiet town, however he discoveres a ghost inhabiting the house.

Really Enjoyed!

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars)

A heartwarming ghost story with spirit, charm, and winter cosiness.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Ghostly by Kate Serzenta.

This was such an interesting find! I really enjoyed the premise—there’s something irresistibly comforting about a haunted love story, especially when it’s delivered with a mix of angst, healing, and hope.

The story had a cosy, almost wintery feel to it, despite the supernatural undertones. It’s not a horror—more of a lighthearted, emotional journey featuring characters that learn and grow through one another. Both the male and female leads develop beautifully, with the ghostly presence adding just the right amount of tension and reflection.

While it didn’t completely blow me away, it had a lot of heart, and I appreciated the emotional layers woven into the romance.

Final Thoughts:

If you're looking for a warm, slightly haunted love story that feels like wrapping yourself in a blanket on a cold day, Ghostly is a gentle and introspective read. Serzenta balances ghostly angst with romantic healing in a way that feels both charming and bittersweet.

📚 Cozy | 💔 Healing | 👻 Lightly Haunted | 🕯️ Soft Romance

Ghostly offers a fun and refreshing blend of historical romance and paranormal, featuring a ghost stuck in her old house and a scandal-escaping lawyer who can see and hear her. Their friendship-first relationship feels genuine and well-paced, with just the right touch of heat that fits naturally within the story.

The narration by Chris Chambers and Stefanie Kay brings the characters’ chemistry to life, and the richly developed town and side characters add warmth and charm to the setting. The time jumps at the end provide satisfying glimpses of the couple’s future, rounding out a well-crafted story.

This is the first in a series, and I’m eager to see where it goes next. Overall, a delightful read with emotional depth and a unique twist on romance.

A delightful, cosy paranormal romance between a mortal and a ghost. Narrators Chris Chambers and Stefanie Kay did a great job of bringing Gabriel and Ida to life in their quirky, small town adventure. It was easy to follow the flow of the story and the switch between each character's perspective was masterfully handled. The majority of the narration is from MMC Gabriel's POV and I would argue that more chapters from Ida's perspective would have enhanced the overall story. I felt like there was so much more that could have been explored from Ida's POV and her experiences of mental health in the Victorian era. Overall I loved the audiobook and would definitely come back for the second book in the series.

Trigger warnings:
Mention of death
Discussion of anxiety and OCD
Infidelity

I had a great time with this one! A ghost stuck in the house she died in, a lawyer escaping scandal! But somehow, he can see her! And hear her! And it's the first time since she died that she's been able to hold a conversation with one of the tenants of the house! This was a fun exploration of self acceptance and growth and love!

I really enjoyed this story a lot! Once I started, I don’t want to stop until the book was over. The story is fast paced, a little spicy, and definitely a unique concept.
I’ll update with a link once my full review is posted.
Thank you for letting me listening to this book. I enjoyed is so much! I’m excited to share it with others.

This was such a fun and cozy listen. I have already recommended to my friends. There is nothing that warms my heart then a cute ghostly love story. I really loved the small-town setting and all the characters especially “The Schuyler Sisters “. I would love if this series continued in the same town.
The duet narration was great and made the story even better.

I enjoyed this listen. I felt that this was a unique take on a mixture of a historical romance and paranormal. I enjoyed the relationship between the MCs. It did remind me of Layla a little but a romantic version of it.

The narration done by both Chris Chambers and Stefanie Kay was very well done. They were able to bring the chemistry to life.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun little rim com, but with ghosts. It was witty and fun. It was an easy summer read. I would read more from this author.

This was a pretty fun read. Clever and unique plot.
I loved characters and loved how they learned to help each other adapt to their special circumstances.
I loved the witty dialogue. This book kept me entertained till the end.
This book isn’t totally squeaky clean, but it wasn’t horrible either.

This is a cozy, haunted rom-com. Technically I think it is a paranormal romance, but I just adored this whole story no matter how you categorize it. This is a well-written rom-com that will please any frequent reader of the genre. This is also the PERFECT Autumn book for every rom-com reader. If you are in a book club that allows rom-coms, trust me when I say to recommend this selection in September or October. It is book-club pick perfect, IMO.
The audio book is fantastic, told with two narrators in an interesting style that seems to be a blend of duel/duet narration. Both the actors are perfect in the voice roles though, and I was swept away into this paranormal comedy from the first chapter.
The angst is perfectly balanced: not too low, not too high, and of course there is an ending worth reading for!
The characters are a little bit grumpy/sunshine, ironically the living one being grumpy and the ghost being the sunshine. Brilliant! I loved it. The scandal-ridden lawyer hides away until his bad press quiets. The old Victorian mansion is the perfect setting for him to form an unexpected friendship with the long-dead woman haunting the house.
Trust me, everything you want in a rom-com is here: plus a friendly ghost! This is a quintessential big city love interest landing in a small town and falling in love with all its quirky townsfolk.
I loved every minute of this audiobook, and I will highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, small town romantic comedy read! Make room in your Autumn TBR for Ghostly!

A great quick read. Loved the way the ghost came up with inventive ways to communicate with people .the interaction with the townfolk, love a good smalltown story. Ended awith a couple of twist which were nice. Will read again

(Advance Listening Copy (ALC) courtesy of NetGalley and Tantor Audio.)

Rating: 4.5⭐

It was refreshing to read a romance that wasn’t so thirsty. (And this coming from a reader who enjoys a good spicy novel.) Instead, Ghostly was a true friends-first romance, bringing just a little heat in a way that fit the plot naturally. The “ghost” element created a barrier to early physicality, which allowed their emotional connection to shine. Even after the haunting aspect resolved, they didn’t immediately fall into bed—which was refreshing.

The love story is genuinely strong. The connection between the leads felt real and earned, and the pacing was just right. The town itself and the side characters were also standouts: richly developed, charming, and memorable. It made the setting feel lived-in and warm.
I especially appreciated the time jumps at the end. They offered satisfying glimpses into the couple’s future together, which scratched my ever-present itch to know what happens next after the happily-ever-after.

I saw this is the first in a series, so I’m interested to see where it goes. Even though this book is very nicely wrapped up, the supporting cast and setting were so well crafted that I’d be happy to return to this world. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next one.

🎧 AUDIO-SPECIFIC:
Excellent narration by Chris Chambers and Stefanie Kay. Both gave solid character performances and it was an enjoyable production. In fact, I usually listen to all my audiobooks at 1.5x speed, but my settings accidentally got changed for the last couple of hours of the book back to 1x, and I didn’t have any issue with it. (Which means, top-notch pacing!)

TL;DR - Looking for a slow and sweet, but swoon-worthy romance? This one’s for you!

I had been eyeing this one ever since I saw it on Amazon and then was excited to see it on Netgalley as an audiobook! What better way to get through it.

This book was very unique when it came to the paranormal. I can only recall one book where someone was falling in love with a ghost. It is a fun twist and this book kept it very light and cozy. Ida and Gabriel had cute moments. I liked that he was helping her try to cross over. The plot goes through how she got to be a ghost as well and I felt so bad for her. Gabriel has a questionable reasoning for even being in this small town in the first place. I was surprised that even though he seemed like a hard worker and wanting to make partner he would do something that would prevent him from reaching his goals. I am still not 100% sure if there was cheating, even though it would be considered emotional, because I don't think his other relationship was one and not just a situationship, but either way it kind of felt odd. Maybe that's just me.

It did have a decent ending and kept me intrigued for the most part.

Overall, it was good.

Ghostly is a very cute book, perfect for when you are in the mood for something lighthearted, fun and quick to read.

Ida and Gabriel feel like polar opposites that shouldn't work together, but they do. She, a Victorian ghost with OCD, is the sunshine to his grump, and somehow convinces the disgraced lawyer and only living person who can see her to try and help her move on to the afterlife. Seeing how he slowly warms up to the local community and, even more astonishingly, starts to legitimitely care for Ida is very heart-warming.

I also liked that Ida starts to bond with her descendant via his electronics. Who knew ghosts could haunt video games?

Stefanie Kay and Chris Chambers really bring the characters alive. Their narration pulls you into this quirky, paranormal love story, and it lets you forget how the time flies.

Since this book ends with a HEA (yay), I am curious to see how, if at all, it connects to the other books in the series.

First off thank you so much for the early audio . Loved it . Sweet cozy paranormal romance. Love a good dual audiobook. Both narratives were really good . Kept me interested the entire time .