REVIEW: Crazy Spooky Love by Josie Silver

In Crazy Spooky Love by Josie Silver, When Melody Bittersweet set off to open her own ghost-hunting agency she had dreams of using her abilities to see and speak with ghosts as a way to help them move on to whatever is next for them. She didn’t realize she would have to deal with her ex-boyfriend, Leo Dark, who also communicates with spirits. Or that local reporter, Fletcher Gunn, a non-believer, would make Melody’s life even more complicated by being so darn attractive–and helpful. With her best friend Marina at her side and their newly hired apprentice, Artie, tagging along, they all begin the gargantuan task of trying to solve their first case.

‘This ghostbusting lark is turning out to be more hair-raising than any of us had anticipated.’

The three Scarborough brothers who still inhabit their huge family home couldn’t be more different from each other. Even as ghosts they have a complicated relationship that Melody knows she needs to suss out if she ever hopes to find who killed Douglas a little over a century ago. None of the brothers makes it particularly easy to investigate. And neither does their very much still alive heir, Donovan, who just wants to sell the house. Melody, Marina, and Artie get stuck in one outlandish situation after another. But with some assistance from Leo and Fletcher here and there, she has hope that she’ll solve her first case successfully and help a family that’s been stuck in limbo for too long. If she could also keep from getting arrested, falling for a snarky reporter, or softening up to her ex, that would be wonderful.

‘I might have an oddball family, a hellishly complicated love life and the world’s most annoying pug, but I’ve also got the best friends in the world and a business with my name over the door.’

The first book in Josie Silver’s new Melody Bittersweet ghost-hunting series, CRAZY SPOOKY LOVE, was filled with Scooby Doo type predicaments, heated moments, laughs, and of course, a paranormal thread that made this one entertaining story.

‘As is often the case in life, even in death, what really mattered was love.’

CRAZY SPOOKY LOVE is difficult to categorize but it sure was a whole lot of fun to read. Set in Shropshire County in western England, Josie Silver created a cool blend of small town paranormal rom-com along with a bit of mystery–all told from the first person POV of our heroine, Melody. The hilariously offbeat characters had almost a Lucy Score vibe, only with a bit less slapstick comedy but with lots of snarky, dry-witted banter. The history between Melody and two frustrating men in her life–paranormal investigator, Leo Dark, and local reporter Fletcher Gunn–amped up the tension. But it was honestly Melody, her bestie Marina, their new sidekick Artie, as well as Melody’s mother and gran who truly brought things to life.

Aside from Melody’s ability to see and communicate with ghosts, she was kind of a girl-next-door character who was attempting to start her own ghost-hunting business. She came from a long line of women who had the same supernatural abilities. After turning twenty-seven, Melody decided to break free of helping at her mother’s shop and create her own business that would assist spirits to move on. I loved how in tune she and Marina were day to day as they forged a new path. They’d been friends since childhood so their inside jokes, protectiveness of each other, and show of support felt natural. The addition of big-hearted naive Artie as their apprentice added warmth and some chuckles to the mix.

The mystery element, sorting out who killed a wealthy young man a century ago and why the three Scarborough brothers were trapped in their grand family home was an interesting part of the story. Melody’s first case was a doozy. Silver layered in danger, along with backstories and differing personalities that kept my attention until the end. I think readers who like a bit of adventure and sleuthing along with (sometimes cranky) ghosts will enjoy this wild ride.

QOTD: Are you a fan of novels that are “light” on supernatural elements or do you prefer those that are full-on paranormal?

Book Info:

Publication: September 2nd, 2025 | Dell | Melody Bittersweet #1

A plucky medium, her fame-chasing ex, and an infuriatingly handsome skeptic reporter make for a complicated love triangle—and that’s before the ghosts get involved. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December comes the first novel in a ghost-hunting series full of romance and humor.

Ghosts and spirits are business as usual, but love just might be enough to scare Melody Bittersweet.

In the leafy, charming town of Chapelwick, the Bittersweet family has been a fixture on High Street for as long as anyone can remember. Their rambling black-and-white building houses all three generations of ghost-sensitive Bittersweet women and their business, Blithe Spirits.

On her twenty-seventh birthday, Melody Bittersweet converts the disused back storeroom into her office and opens her own business. Unlike the rest of her family, she’s not taking down messages from ghosts—she’s taking them out.

Right away, the freshly minted Girls’ Ghostbusting Agency takes on its first a grand old house that won’t sell because a trio of incumbent ghost brothers raise merry hell whenever prospective owners arrive to view it.

It soon becomes clear that there’s a whole heap of unfinished business between the Scarborough brothers—including murder—and Melody isn’t the only one trying to unravel the mystery. Leo Dark, her rakish ex and business rival, is also on the case, along with the TV crew that trails him.

To make matters worse, the sarcastic and skeptical (and annoyingly good-looking) local reporter Fletcher Gunn has his nose in the story as well. Sniffing out a way to publicly discredit the Bittersweets is his favorite assignment—and has absolutely nothing to do with his inability to resist Melody.

With her business on the line, it’s up to Melody to work out the brothers’ issues, but can she protect her own very susceptible heart from Fletcher’s charm? Does she even want to?