Review: Good Spirits, by B.K. Borison

Title: Good Spirits

Author: B.K. Borison

Publisher: Grove Press UK

Genre: Romance / Paranormal

Date of Publication: October 21st, 2025 

Number of Pages: 384

See it on Goodreads: Good Spirits

Summary

He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.

Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.

Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together— and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.

With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?

Review - Embrace the Christmas Spirit

Merry Christmas, everyone 🎄🎄🎄

This year, Good Spirits is probably THE holiday romance. I've seen so many people reading and loving it, that I simply had to read it myself. Plus, its concept sounds too good to let it pass. 

In Good Spirits, Nolan, a Ghost of Christmas Past, is tasked to haunt Harriet. The only issue is that Harriet is nice - not really the type of person that Nolan would be asked to follow around. This concept is so unique and refreshing, isn't it? 

However, despite my initial excitement, I had trouble with this book since the beginning. I read the first couple of chapters digitally, and I didn't really want to keep reading - it just wasn't holding my interest. Luckily, I decided to try the audiobook, it that was how I ended up consuming the story. And I'm so disappointed that this was my experience with this book, as I wanted to love it as much as everyone else seems to like it. 

Thinking about it, I feel like the main reason why I didn't like this book were the main characters. They both felt almost like caricatures, and they acted pretty childishly. You can call me a Grinch, but I didn't really like how obsessed with Christmas Harriet seemed to be. I understand that this is a holiday read, but even for that, it felt too excessive. On the other hand, Nolan's obsession with Harriet's pyjama set felt too weird.

Having said all that though, I must say that as a fellow people pleaser, I empathized with Harriet so so much. I particularly enjoyed the part of the story where she deals with her family, and finally stands up for herself.

When it comes to the romance, I didn't mind that it was almost too instant, or that there was spice. I enjoyed our two main characters together, and there were some pretty heartfelt and sentimental scenes. What I wanted more of though, was a better explanation of how they were tied together. The explanation we got didn't satisfy me at all, as it fell into the paradox that most time travel stories fall (we could say that this story involved some time travelling). 

All in all, I think that this book didn't live up to the hype for me. In not for the audiobook, I don't think that I would have finished it. It's a shame as in recent months I read some pretty good romances, and I wanted to keep the streak going. In any case, I feel like I'm in the minority in this case. So, if you are looking for a holiday read for the remainder of the season, this can be an option for you. 

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