I know other reviewers have said the same thing but this book is super atmospheric and gothic, which I love! It creeped me out almost the whole way through after sucking me in from the first page. I didn't want the book to end! Some parts made me raise an eyebrow but it was a fun ride.

When her restaurant closes due to the pandemic and her mother joins a cult in Maine, Billie Hope feels adrift. Life in New York City with her therapist husband, Peter, and their gifted six-year-old daughter, Meredith, is not enough to pull her out of depression. One day she sees an offer that sounds too good to be true. An idyllic small town is offering a home (for $100!) and an opportunity for any entrepreneur or professional willing to relocate to Juliana, Georgia. Tired of living trapped in their apartment, the Hopes leave everything behind to move into a Southern mansion. While Peter works remotely and Mere explores their sixteen acre property with her cat, Billie sets up her new restaurant next door to a handsome antique dealer.
It appears that their dreams have come true, but the entire family is experiencing horrific nightmares, the beautiful house is constantly covered in a fine white dust, and rumors of an uncapped well somewhere on their land disturbs both parents. Something about Juliana begins to feel "off." There is trouble in Paradise and terrible secrets.
Gothictown is an enthralling and well-written book with some serious flaws.
Billie is supposed to be a savvy New Yorker, but she is entirely too trusting and eager to please. She is also, despite thirteen years of happiness with Peter, overly susceptible to the charms of her new neighbor. Even when her marriage starts to fall apart, I didn't believe that Billie would respond as she did. The problem with her mother disappears almost immediately after she makes a phone call to Maine and asks for help. She has spent months agonizing over their estrangement but Mom doesn't seem all that distant. Later, I figured out a crucial secret much sooner than Billie did and that ruined the last quarter of the book for me.
The more serious problem with this novel is that the central mystery makes no sense. The entire town is run by three old families and their acolytes, all of whom worship "Gentle Juliana", the daughter of one of the founders who died over a hundred years ago. (This is not a spoiler, as the prologue supposedly explains the origin of their devotion, but even after reading the prologue twice, once before and once after reading the entire novel, I don't get the point.)
Supposedly, Juliana owed its comfort and security to a gold mine. When the miners left to fight the Civil War, their wives and children took over their jobs. Then, General Sherman marched his army through Georgia and destroyed anything that might help the Confederacy. He burned buildings, stole food, and blew up mines. Juliana's town council decided to blow up the entrance to their own mine and disguised it, hoping that Sherman would leave the town undamaged. The logical problem that made no sense to me is that before blowing up the entrance, they forced all the women and children who had worked in the mine to go down a deep shaft with a small amount of water, blankets, and candles. Why? They then swore all the other residents to secrecy. What was the point of making people hide inside the mine? Couldn't they have just sworn them to secrecy too? Sherman bought the ruse and left Juliana untouched except for stealing all their food., but when the mine was reopened, all of the women and children inside were found dead, drowned in a pool of water. The town fathers blew up the entrance, again, with the bodies still inside and, after the war, told the returning soldiers that Sherman had shipped all their families out West. (Apparently, Sherman actually did that in some places.) Juliana's father decided that his dead daughter had taken all the dead women and children as a sacrifice to ensure the safety of the town and, because he was rich and powerful, he convinced his fellow councilmen to accept this hogwash as their new religion. Even their descendents would continue to worship 'Gentle Juliana" and do whatever was necessary to keep the town's secret.
Aside from the whole "dead girl protecting her town" business, I had a real problem with the gold mine story. If the mine was so important, how come it was never reopened? They could have buried the bodies and reopened the mine after the war, but this never happened. The rich men started other industries based on timber and manufacturing but kept the mine a secret. Despite their commitment to this policy, the big shots let Billie and her family move into the house formally owned by the original gold-mining family. Why? They wouldn't sell it to anyone else, so why did the Hopes get "lucky?" I won't go into detail about the reason they were so eager to keep Billie happy, but she would have done fine in a different house without risking the Big Secret.
Anyway, despite my issues with Gothictown, I enjoyed most of it, and, more importantly, read the whole thing. Three stars for fun, but I don't know if I'd bother reading anything else by this author without checking Goodreads really carefully.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a free advance copy of Gothictown in exchange for my honest review.

You had me at the title!! I love anything Gothic!

This was a creepy, quick-ish read.

Would you jump at the chance to purchase an old Victorian home for only $100. I would have before reading this book!!

If you love gothic and creepy atmospheric books, this is for you!

Gothictown is a fun, engaging, creepy read that's a bit Stepford Wives meets Hot Fuzz (one of my favorite movies). The writing is easy to follow and flows nicely. If you're a regular consumer of such books, you're unlikely to find many surprises in this one, but in some ways, that's what makes it fun--a new take on tried and true tropes.
Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington books for the opportunity to read this advance copy!

Release: March 24, 25
Publisher: Kensington Publishing

Rating: 4.25/5 ⭐

Emily Carpenter’s Gothictown was an atmospheric and gripping read that perfectly blended suspense and gothic elements. The setting was vivid and haunting, almost a character in itself, pulling me into its eerie world. The pacing kept me hooked, balancing slow-burning tension with moments of intense action. I appreciated how the characters were complex and layered, making their struggles feel real and their decisions impactful. The twists were well-executed, leaving me guessing without feeling contrived. Overall, Gothictown delivered on mood, intrigue, and storytelling, earning a strong 4.25 stars from me.

Gothictown by Emily Carpenter is a dark and atmospheric tale set in a mysterious, eerie town where secrets and danger lurk at every corner. The story follows a protagonist who is drawn into a web of deception and intrigue, uncovering shocking truths about the town and its inhabitants. With gothic elements and unexpected twists, it’s a suspenseful journey that keeps you on edge until the very end.

Favorite Quote:

"Welcome to gentle Juliana, where you can have it all.... If you pay the price

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Please note this is a 3.5.

I genuinely liked this book. It was definitely somewhat formulaic, however, it did have the right amount of creepy and weird cult vibes that it needed to have. The characters were definitely flawed, and the writing of the main character was not incredible, but it still felt compelling. The story itself, however, was a really fun ride, and while it seems slightly beyond the realm of possibility, the idea of schlepping to a town to live in a house you bought for $100 is definitely something that I can imagine many would want to do.

The supernatural aspects of this book were definitely stand-outs, and I found myself particularly intrigued by the mine and the potential for the ghosts and visions to be the answer to the strange things that were happening. I was hopeful that this book would lean more into the supernatural stuff, but I unfortunately found that this didn't end up being the case. I thought the storyline with the husband was a strong one, as were the dynasties of creepy families.

The ending was the weakest, but the start and middle were fast-paced and well worth the read. This book is a good one for fans of horror, and it's worth looking into for any horror fan.

Southern gothic masterpiece? YES PLEASE! I adored this. It was incredibly atmospheric and Carpenter did an amazing job of capturing the essence of what makes southern gothic lit so timeless.

When Billie receives an email with an offer to purchase a home for $100 from a small town in Georgia, she, her husband and young daughter pack up and leave New York City. As things seem to easily fall into place, more stuff happens that is weird. Will Billie and her family survive Juliana? This book was un-putdownable and I could not stop reading to find out what happened next. Full of twists and turns, this one will keep you guessing until the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a chance to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

I'm always excited for another Emily Carpenter novel, and GOTHICTOWN did not disappoint. Billie is an intriguing protagonist, and I appreciated how she's not perfect or one dimensional. She makes some bad decisions and certainly does not have everything all figured out. Her family situation is relatable, and things really pick up once they move to Juliana, Georgia, and strange things begin to happen. The plot is suspenseful but not overly intricate or difficult to follow, and the pacing is good, especially once they make the move and the odd occurrences start. The ending is definitely satisfying. I think this novel will be a winner with fans of small town gothic suspense.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

Set in a picturesque small town just north of Atlanta. When a deal seems to good to be true, there are usually some strings attached.  Uprooting her family from New York city, to small town Georgia, thing turn creepy pretty quickly. The story is very fast paced, creepy and scary. I didnt like the main character but I did really enjoy this book.

The following review was posted on Goodreads on 11.13.24:

I was really excited when I learned that Emily Carpenter had a new novel out since I've read and enjoyed all of her previous ones. GOTHICTOWN sounded right up my alley, too, with its gothic, small town/big secrets plot. The novel did keep me reading, even into the late hours (which resulted in some WEIRD dreams), I found it a little disappointing. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Carpenter's other books. Why? I think it's because I just didn't find the premise very convincing. Maybe in the 1800s I could see people being superstitious enough to make "sacrifices" to a dead girl to protect their town, but in modern times? Eh. I don't think so. It just didn't ring true to me. The crimes of the "old guard" also seem so obvious that it made me question how anyone, least of all a savvy, cynical New Yorker would be so easily taken in by them. I guess I needed a sneakier, more subtle approach to make the storyline work well for me.

That being said, I did fly through the pages of GOTHICTOWN wanting to know what was going to happen next. The atmospheric setting definitely got to me, making the book creepier than I had expected it to be. I didn't love the characters or the town, though, which made it tough to invest overly much in the story. Hence, the 3-star rating. The book was okay, but not as good as what I was expecting from an author I've really enjoyed in the past. Bummer.

this was better than i expected but it’s just okay, excited to see what the author comes up with next because i do think that the idea was good

I really enjoyed this book.
It was everything I really needed this past month of October, the one that I chose to read all of the spooky books.
It was super fast paced and the plot twist, amazing. Got me entertained from the beginning to the end.
Really recommend to people who love really good ambiance books

Not for me. I requested this to read in October, as I always like to stock up on "spooky stories" to get me in the Halloween mood. This wasn't quite what I expected, and not my favorite.

This was a fast paced book with twists and turns that is fast paced to keep you engaged! Billie gets an email after the pandemic to move her and her family down to a town in Georgia into a Victorian home for only $100! She moves with her husband and daughter and starts a new restaurant. Then it takes a turn and the events get a bit weird.. if your into gothic twisty books you’ll enjoy this. I love a fast paced book so it was a good read and the characters are likeable!

Gothictown
By: Emily Carpenter

5 Stars

Still trying to bounce back after the pandemic, Billie and Peter find a house and land for $100, plus money to open a business. It's called 'The Initiative' in the beautiful town of Juliana, Georgia. Soon after moving in, their dream home and life goes off the rails. Soon, they realize Juliana and its members are hiding something. What do you do when your dream becomes a nightmare?

WOW. I loved this story. It was captivating. It had history, drama, romance, secrets, and danger. It really was well rounded and offered a bit of everything. I loved the way this was blended with past and present. It kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved the little town of Juliana and all its creepy and dark history. I would love to read more from this author as this was a very well done, 5 star book.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

This was a surprisingly good book! Billie gets an email after the pandemic to move her and her family down to a town in Georgia into a Victorian home for only $100! Too good to be true? Of course. As she moves with her husband and daughter, she starts a new restaurant. Things begin to turn a bit weird. I loved the fast-paced plot and the characters. I do wish so much had not been revealed about the town right away. Otherwise, this was a very good Southern Gothic read.

I went into this thinking it was going to be one thing and it turned out suprising me in a completely different way. Sometimes, for me, it can be hard to sit with a book and really read the words and not get drowned in my own thoughts as I try to figure out all the mysteries on the page through pattern recognition and "formulas" used when many writers pen a thrilling novel. This time, I was able to turn off my brain and actually just enjoy Emily Carpenter's "Gothictown". There are many pieves to this story and I think there are so many people that will really love getting their hands on this when it comes out!

I love a town with a secret and this is quite a secret in Juliana. A family moves down to Georgia from New York, taking advantage of their “initiative”, buying a mansion with 12 acres for only $100. But things start to fall apart soon after. Infidelity, ghosts. , family pets going feral and much more in this fast paced and suspenseful novel.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.