This well told gothic fairy tale is a cautionary story of what comes of actions based on appearances.

Set in Paris during the mid-to-late 19th century, we experience love, vengeance and redemption through the eyes of two estranged spiritist sisters. There is Sherlockian mystery combined with Shakespearean tragedy and all the tropes of the Victorian era.

The character development is on point, you care deeply about the focal ladies and their grande plights (with a side of sapphic wooing and cooing that is delightfully coquettish). The settings are portrayed in such detail that they play out during the reading experience as if watching a compelling mind-movie. While more Parisian flair could have possibly added to the book’s supernatural mystique, in all, Spitting Gold is easily a highly recommended novel full of heart-pounding suspense and heart-breaking emotion!

Much appreciation goes out to author, Carmella Lowkis, and Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) for the opportunity to experience Spitting Gold in advance of its May 14th, 2024 release.

Highly recommend this one!! This is my first time reading one of their books but it won't be the last! This book sucks you in from the get-go and you will find yourself thinking about the characters long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and get this book!!

Spitting Gold is set in 19th century Paris and follows two estranged sisters; Sylvie married well and moved up in society while her sister Charlotte was left to care for their ailing father. In the past, they have pretended to be spirit mediums and plan to reunite for one last con to pay for their father’s medical care. These characters are distinct, well-written, morally grey, and I found their complicated relationship dynamic compelling. I felt totally immersed in the time period and the elements of mystery and shocking twists kept me hooked from start to finish. This entertaining historical fiction novel has it all—con artists, forbidden sapphic romance, vengeful ghosts, and so much more. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: homophobia/lesbophobia, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, murder, animal death.


Sylvie Mothe was once a conwoman. Now, she's a Baroness, married to a wealthy man who loves her wholeheartedly -- but knows very little of her past. When the past comes barging back in, in the form of her sister, Charlotte, asking for her help one last time, Sylvie feels she has little choice, stuck between family and her husband, poverty and high society. Their mark is the formerly aristocratic de Jacquinots, who are convinced that they are being haunted by their great-aunt, brought down during the French Revolution. But as Sylvie and Charlotte fall ever deeper into the web that they are spinning, caught up in the dark secrets of their own family and those of the de Jacquinots, they will be forced to confront terrors far worse than ghosts.

A remarkable debut! As soon as I saw this was being pitched as "perfect for fans of Sarah Waters," I had very high hopes -- and speaking truthfully, very high expectations, too. I'm pleased to say that Spitting Gold hit its mark with almost complete perfection for me, full of twists and turns, and dark family secrets that will have you dying to pick it up again once you've been forced to sit it down. The writing is lovely, maintaining a period feeling throughout the book, without ever straying into being too dense or feeling as if the author is trying too hard to impart the sensation that you are reading something set in the 1860s. This is a time period and place rich with potential, haunted (both literally and figuratively) by the ghosts of the French Revolution, the Terror, and France as a rising empire, and Lowkis does an excellent job of making the most out of it.

At the center of the story are the Mothe sisters, born into Paris in poverty, inheriting their family's profession of mediumship. Neither of the sisters have ever seen a real ghost, and are firm skeptics, though Charlotte occasionally finds herself seeking out the other side beyond their cons, hoping to make some connection with their deceased mother. Sylvie is more practical, and it's this practicality that leads her into marrying a Baron and cutting herself off from her sister and father. The relationship between Sylvie and Charlotte is rendered with real emotion and complexity, and speaking from my experience, accurate in its depiction of sisterhood. There is love and tenderness between the girls, but resentment, envy, and sometimes ugliness, and I applaud Lowkis for allowing her characters to be fully realized -- and not always sympathetic.

The de Jacquinots create a fascinating counter to the Mothes, former aristocrats who cling to their nobility and the status afforded to them before the French Revolution. Florence and her brother, Maximilien, act as our guide into the family, and while both of their characters are fully dimensional and interesting in their own respect, their mother and grandfather, Ardoir, suffer some in comparison. They are not focal points in the book by any means, but I think it would have added to the intrigue had they been a touch more fleshed out.

All in all, this was a fantastic debut and perfectly suited to my tastes. I only knocked off half a star for some imperfections that are to be expected in a debut -- some plodding moments, some weak characterization at times, etc. -- but otherwise there are very few flaws to be found here. I cannot wait to see what Lowkis will put out next, and I'm definitely adding this onto my favorites list.

Sylvie and her estranged sister Charlotte come together one last time to pay their father's bills. They are spirit mediums who connect loved ones to their dearly departed. In one last con together, but they may be in over their heads. I enjoyed how this book tells the story from each sisters' point of view. Also, I love a good con. The sinister being that may be haunting them in their last con together was fun and a bit scary. The gothic vibes of this book were enjoyable, and I appreciated the twists in this book! Definitely a great read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon and Schuster for this copy of "Spitting Gold."

To help pay for their father's medical care, Sylvie asks her now-respectably-married sister Charlotte to help her with one more performance as the Mothe Sisters spiritists to help a client to contact a relative that's haunting them.

But when they experience strange, unexplainable events in the client's house, they begin to wonder if the spirit might be real after all.

This was a fun, twisty book told from both Charlotte's and then Sylvie's viewpoints. Each sister thinks they're acting in the best interests of the family and once both sides are explored, the whole story is revealed.

Kudos to a very exciting book from a promising debut author.

What a fun read! I’m a sucker for any book about sisters in the dynamics behind that relationship. Spitting Golf tells the story of two estranged sisters and their past as well as their intertwined connections. The haunting vibes were so good in this book. I already recommended it to my sisters!

Thank you #Netgalley the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun one. Two sisters are reunited and begin to scare gold away from others, only to be haunted by terrors themselves. Entertaining and thought provoking.

Thank you, Atriabook and NetGalley, for the free book for review.

If you're a sucker for novels delving into the intricate dynamics of sisterhood, then "Spitting Gold" is your golden ticket! This gripping tale unravels through the eyes of estranged sisters, Sylvie and Charlotte, weaving a mesmerizing narrative that delves into their shared past, individual journeys, and the hauntingly beautiful gothic setting that will transport you to another world.

The author expertly captures the tender yet complex bond between the sisters, delving into their relationships with others, including Sylvie's secretive tension with her husband and Charlotte's blossoming connection with the enigmatic client, Florence. It's a rollercoaster of emotions as you find yourself rooting for both sisters while unraveling the tantalizing web of secrets and twists that make this mystery an absolute page-turner.

For lovers of gothic historical fiction and anyone fascinated by the unbreakable ties of sisterhood, "Spitting Gold" is a definite must-read. It's a compelling exploration of how far one would go to protect a sister, even in the face of adversity and deception. So, buckle up and get ready for a mesmerizing journey into the heart of sisterly bonds!

3 ⭐️

This is a story of two spiritist sisters in 19th century Paris who set out to take advantage of a family plagued by paranormal events in their home. The story is told at first from Sylvie's POV as the older sister, and then from Charlotte's POV in the second half. It's an entertaining story, but I found it hard to hold my interest through the second half until close to the end.

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis was an atmospheric debut.
Set in 19th-century Paris, blending gothic mystery with a captivating sapphic romance as two estranged sisters—celebrated spirit mediums—come back together for one last con.
This wonderfully told historical fiction novel was beautifully written.
I enjoyed the characters was hanging onto every single word.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Sylvie and Charlotte grew up in a family running cons. The girls are known as spirit mediums. They would make a family believe that they had ghosts, so then the family would hire them to “exorcise” the ghosts. Now, that the girls are grown up, Sylvie has married a baron and is trying to integrate into upper society. While her sister, Charlotte, is stuck at home taking care of her father. Charlotte is in need of money for her father’s care and decides that one last con will pay the bills. She convinces Sylvie to help her perform their old con on a family with old money. The problem is that there are weird things happening that are not in their control. Have they finally found a house that’s haunted and really needs a ghost exorcised? The format of this book is interesting, in that you follow Sylvie for the first half of the book and then you follow Charlotte for the second half. I thought both halves were good. It seemed a bit repetitive for Charlotte’s part because it’s telling the same story, but from her point of view. Also, the pacing was a little slow in the middle at some parts. Overall, still a decent debut, and I will plan to look for the author’s next book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

DNF at 20%

I am once again hit with a case of blurb expectations not meeting the actual content. I was promised an atmospheric, gothic debut about spiritualist sisters reuniting to pull one last con and while the plot aspects of that blurb are certainly correct, there is absolutely no atmosphere to be had. The 20% that I read was so matter of fact and dry considering the subject matter and time period. This is not what I signed for and therefore, I have decided to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Spitting Gold tells the story of two sisters who pose as spirit mediums and their next mark, a family being haunted by an ancestor. The first half was creepy and atmospheric, and I genuinely had chills down my spine.

However, at the midway point, we have a POV change that details what led to this point and the ultimate outcome. It feels like a complete tonal shift away and I found myself skimming to the end. I absolutely adored the beginning so the ending felt unearned and rushed.

Don't get me wrong, the antagonist gets what they deserve at the end, but the epilogue felt like it was trying to wrap up the storyline, rather than deal with the fallout. Maybe an extra chapter or so could help alleviate the abruptness.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.

Spitting Gold is a mix of a Gothic horror style book mixed with a romance. I absolutely loved the first half of the book from Sylvie's perspective. It was haunting and exciting and I didn't know what to expect next. The second half of the book in Charlotte's view seemed unnecessary to me. It retold the same story, just in Charlotte's point of view so it took the magic and suspense out of the book for me. I felt like the first half was a quick read, and the second part dragged. I think I would have preferred the second point of view to be Florence and to hear more of her back story from her perspective. As a debut novel, Lowkis shows a lot of promise. I enjoyed the 19th century Parisian setting and the plot line, I just wish the formatting of the book had taken a different direction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for granting me a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review!

3.25 ⭐️

The premise of Spitting Gold was pretty strong, but sadly it honestly fell flat for me. The first half of the book was relatively promising, following the point of view of Sylvie, the older of the Mothe sisters. Her POV was mostly good. I at least somewhat liked her. However, Charlotte was wildly unlikable to me from the very start, and her POV in the second half of the book only reinforced that. It could’ve been good if only Charlotte had basically any redeemable characteristics. Her POV read very much like that of a really mentally unstable person. I found her “love” to be just obsession. She clearly forms incredibly unhealthy obsessions with people, and I just found her ending pretty flat and unsatisfying. I was hoping she would grow at some point, but her way of thinking literally never changed.

I also found the book really predictable. I had called the major “twist” within the first few pages of meeting the family the Mothe sisters were assisting. I wish it had been able to subvert my expectations.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Spitting Gold.

An intriguing novel that got me out of my reading slump!

Filled with rich descriptions, purple prose and morally ambiguous characters spitting gold is one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading this year. I was instantly transported into this unique and magical portrayal of Paris,

Sylvie is my most favourite of the two, and the authors ability to make us turn on the sisters and hate at the very least one of them periodically was so delightful! The drama made the book addictive to read as well!

And to close off I have to mention the plot twists that had me staying awake at night to finish this!

Spitting Gold was creepy, atmospheric, and jam packed with unpredictable twists. Camella Lowkis wrote this book in a way that you almost feel as if you’ve jumped right into the pages. This would be the perfect historical fiction to read around Halloween. Creepy & haunting - I loved this book!

Thank you NetGalley & Atria Books for an ARC copy of this book.

This book was so much twistier than I had expected! There were so many twists that surprised me but that, in hindsight, made perfect sense. The author definitely created a strong, creepy atmosphere and enjoyed turning expectations on their hand. The point of view switches half way through which I was surprised by but ultimately felt was really well-done and added a lot to the story. This was a great gothic haunting/mystery with a well-built sapphic romance and captivating family drama, twice over.

This was an excellent read and lived up to the Sarah Waters hype. Suspenseful. Two former spiritualist sisters are reunited for a job. The story references a fairy tale of sisters, one good and one bad. But those sort of judgements are in the eye of the beholder. We all are morally grey. We can be both good and bad. This story will keep you guessing though. I devoured it quickly. Solidly enjoyed and highly recommend.