naomipf 's review for:

The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A. Haynes

2.75

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the an advanced reader copy in exchange for a review. 

This book introduces us to Gwendolyn, a successful PR agent and Fonsi, a queer Latinx Psychic. As the barrier between the spirit and human worlds weakens, mysterious, graphic things keep happening. These occurrences draw the two together for a fast-paced adventure

This is a fun read. Unfortunately, the last third of the book felt rushed for me. Suddenly things moved quickly, and the build up seemed to miss a bridge to the action. I wanted a little more background to the action, but I appreciate the story didn’t get lost in unnecessary details. Also, paranormal sex was not for me and frankly, I think a tender intimacy without sex would have been more effective to draw me into the world. 

I like how the author writes, the character development, and the general progress of the story. It felt well researched without being preachy. I have only heard of botanicas, so I appreciated learning more about it through the lens of this story. I liked the characters and expected to be more drawn to the titular character. I felt way more connected to Fonsi and his development felt more honest to me. 

I recommend this book for anyone interested in reading a fast paced story without extraneous details.