I know the moment I’m going to love a book when the very first chapter is The dead can’t bother me if I don’t let them in.” But well, it wasn’t “that good” and it also wasn’t “that bad” — 3.5 ⭐

When this book is claimed as “Horror”, I do not see where the horror would be. It was more like thrilling for me. In a good and sense way of ‘you need to keep reading’ which was good. To be honest, if this book is only contained of 5 pages, the breakdown would be like this:
1 - 4: it's for denying, rebelling, and finding what's happening with her, and the introduction
4 - 4.5: try helping Derek and the truth spilled
4.5 - 5: Wait, everything is over (?)
Even though it contained much for me, the magical realism in this book is not “that disappointing!” which is a good thing to bear.

The Storyline, is in a good sense of way that the writing is good with how the flow is going when you get a grasp of what is happening inside the book. However, for the most part of the beginning, it was boring as hell. I almost put this book down when I reached 3-10%ish and try to re-read it again from the beginning because I do really want to give this book a try. As I said in the previous paragraph that 1-4 pages would be the introductions, yeah well that's how it was while I was reading this book. Too long of the introduction contained in this book. I understand that the author probably wants to make us understand how everything works in this magical realism we are diving ourselves into and I also understood that this book is a standalone but for me, personally, the storyline in the beginning is too much and too long for introduction. However, when it comes to the world-building and how the storyline goes it was pretty impressive and relaxing. The choice of words the author had for this book is not that hard to understand. Nevertheless, the poor ending taken quite took a tool of big disappointment for me.

There are several issues this book can be bought up to the surface. The Main Key of the Issues are:
➊ Journaling, not many people know that journaling helps back in the day but nowadays, I see several people prefer to do journaling (or so you ever called writing a diary) rather than telling the other party to go and devour their emotions in the writing papers. It helps with how you can keep in check with your well-being, your mental health, and the lists you never know you needed in your life. In this book, Aria’s journaling to keep in check to her own self is I prefer good self-love. Also, it points out that it’s okay to not be okay.
➋ Societies Issues, this book holds several societal issues that break down into several points;
¹ Woman intends to only have kids and be married when they already reached that age, it was a shame truly. I forgot what year this book take place but certain people nowadays whether in fictional worlds or the real world would somehow have these thoughts for a woman.
² Several children don’t want to take the business fams, it was not a secret anymore when it comes to this. However, the funny thing is, when the child doesn’t want it, the parent pushes them. Meanwhile, when the child does the opposite, the parents always want them to go far away. Funny, isn’t it? This book points out the Grandparent shop Aria loved.
³ Lend them ears, not your mouth, people only wanted someone to listen to them. People sometimes always thought that when the other person was sharing some stories, they always wanted some advice, meanwhile, the truth was not always like that. Sometimes, those people only wanted someone to be there for them to lend their shoulders and ears only. This book was heartbreaking enough when it comes to Derek and I can feel the same way why he was being that towards Aria. Even though I won’t be blamed for Aria’s actions in the past but they could communicate these through rather than having snowballs between their steps.
⁴ Don’t keep your child in the dark, this certain issue is what happened with Aria’ and the reason why she was always asked to be drinking her tea. It was quite annoying when know the reason why the families did what they did to her. Even though the reason is pretty acceptable but still, it doesn’t have to be hidden in secret, she deserves to know!
⁵ The Good and the Bad balancing, this one was priceless and it also points out the magical works in this book. Because everything of good is happening would always have a bad effect on it. The magic work in this book is a good point this book had. I also think about the consequences Aria took in her action.
⁶ Greedy of Power, well. I wouldn’t need to write it down more when it comes to the reason why Aria’s family did because the other party who knows her ability was greedy and wanted to take advantage of it. But not everything is about money and power.
➌ Asian Heritage, I wasn’t surprised when I heard about the Asian heritage on the magic because several times, there are lots of myths that pointed out about the Filipino side of this book. Also, I wasn’t surprised when this book mentioned Asian heritage because somehow, Asians always have the biggest source of magic. It wasn’t something to be ashamed of but it was indeed predictable.
¹ Against Inter-racial marriage, it was known as if you married a different race, it would be a disgrace to the family. It was written and pointed out several times in this book in the Aria families. However, that thing was not the main issue which was quite disappointing that it only has a slight sentence and storyline when it comes to this. Because I think, it would be good enough if this one was some of the main issues.
❹ Let the death rest in peace. I think this one was the most main issue and where it all began. Even though I was nowhere on the answer to why it was happening in the first place about this beautiful matchmaker, I was expecting something more when I discovered the truth about him and why he did what he did. It just left me unsatisfied and I need more answers to that point.

The Characters. This book has several of my favorites, Lindy and Marcus. Those two people have the way to my heart very often. Those two also have different traits from each other and they didn’t come across one another if I’m not mistaken, but I love them both. The other characters, who are the MC and the love interest were not disappointed as much and they also had some development even though the main reason they developed was way too long when it come to that term. It was still acceptable tho, because I believe they all were still in High School and they still try to gain some puberty hits on their own time. There is no annoying character in a bad way, but the characters inside this book have some of their own traits and are reasonable enough for the action they took. So, they are all loveable but I prefer those two.

The Questions that left me hanging:
❶ Why it has to be Aria? — I get that she is the MC but why?
❷ Why it has to be Marcus?
❸ Why it has to be Derek? Why not Aria’s mother? Why not Derek’s father or any other Aria family member? to be attached to “that”
❹ Why none of them are dead? it just nonsense, one of them supposed to suffer because of the magic and all
❺ Only that is the price for Aria? pity. It can be built again tho

Overall, I enjoyed this book when it comes to the spirits only and when it was almost at the end of the storyline. The beginning was quite boring but it paid off with the middle storyline even though the ending was just blaaah and truly disappointing. I also appreciate the issues this book brought because it was quite common and written up on the surface, so not really hard to point them out

Thank you Netgalley for giving me privilege for reading this book before the publication date.

I thought I would love this but I just couldn't get into it :(. I think it was a good book with important representation, but simply not for me, which led me to take a while to read it!

What a ride!

I will start by saying that I am scared easily, so this was more than spooky enough.

Spooky feelings aside, I loved the story and the themes explored.

Neilson has a promising career.

What wasn't there to love? Magic, romance, Providence. This story was so thought out. I could feel the love and how freely it flowed. I loved arias search for the truth about her abilities, the descriptions of the city and local spots. Aria and Bri felt like teenagers in the purest way, the house parties and riding the bus all felt familiar to my past but still current to how teens in the city move. Aria and Dereks romance was cruel in how long it was drawn out but worth it. and finally the reveal of it all! i was stunned. safe to say i love eveything riss writes

3.5⭐️i really tried to love it i truly did. but it is just not my cup of tea. i love the cover and i love the poc representation in paranormal storytelling. i just couldn’t get immersed into the world. but it was NOT a bad book.

From her first memories, Aria, now 17, has known she was different than the other people around her because she has such vivid dreams of ghosts. To keep the dreams at bay, her mother has her drink a special tea twice a day that her grandfather has made for her. Her best friend until two years ago stopped talking to her is the boy across the street Derek.

At about the same time Aria decides to stop drinking the tea without telling anyone, Derek begins acting strangely and attempts to become her friend once again. This book is filled with all things many YA readers love love angst, secrets, strange families, ghosts, possession, and so much more.

It is a definite purchase for our library media center and likely to be the subject of a Book Talk to get students reading it. One thing that makes this book special is that Aria is half-Filipino and we have a student population who rarely, if ever, see themselves as the main character in a novel.

Thank you Net Galley and McMillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Company for the opportunity to read this in return for a truthful review.

great book and I enjoyed the characters growth. Loved the friends and how this all worked out. I enjoyed the characters journey to finding oneself and others. I hope to read more by this author again.

This novel was slow moving and took quite some time to get to the point. The relationship between the two characters seemed a little forced. The story has a decent plot but there was not a lot of meaningful development.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE DARK!

Rating: 3/5 stars

Brief synopsis: Aria can see ghosts. Kind of. Everything’s been weird since she started drinking a special tea, twice a day, for the past few years. She dreams of them, but can’t really see them anymore. When an old rose bush, planted there for decades, suddenly dies, Aria knows something paranormal is going on, and she knows it’s something to do with ghosts.

I had a hard time with this book. With the stilted writing style and molasses-slow plot, I was uninterested most of the time, even with the concept being as intriguing as it is. The writing style felt super dull with not a lot of variety in sentence lengths, which leads to the stilted feel. The way it was told was confusing, often having anecdotes run on for a little too long or that weren’t explained enough for me to understand. I think I started understanding it around the 45% mark. The only thing I found super interesting was that descriptions of the “grey”, the ghost land Aria begins to see when she stops taking her tea. The beauty of the wisterias shined through the rest of the average writing.

This book should’ve ended at Chapter 57, where everything was tied up nicely and felt complete. But no, we had one or two more chapters and an epilogue that felt thrown in for dramatic effect only. It was a subpar ending and a horrible addition to the rest of the book. It opened the book up for a sequel, but honestly I would’ve been happier with this being a standalone and having some things unanswered.

The romance between Aria and Derek felt super forced. Like, yes Aria helped Derek out when he was facing certain death, but I was hoping that they would just become best friends again. Them dating by the end didn’t feel right with how the plot progressed, even with Aria’s romantic feelings pre-possession and pre-friend breakup.

If a sequel does come for this book, I’m not sure if I’ll read it. The negatives outweigh the positives, and I’m just not interested in reading more than I already have.

If you want to try a unique paranormal YA book, give it a shot. Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley!

When I first saw this cover I was hella excited. I really enjoyed Neilson’s first novel even though there was some triggering stuff in there for me, so I was super excited to see her second book come out. I enjoyed this one as well. Her writing style just always sucks me in!

Ok so this one was a lot weirder than her first novel. That one also deals with a ghost, but it was more so just weird things happening and there was some possession. This one also had possession it was more present? Idk. It just seemed like in this novel she let her ghost go and be crazy when before it was kind of guarded. I mention this because this time was actually really scare. The two personalities of the person he possessed and the kid were different enough that it was actually really creepy when it started going back and forth. I say that was the weirdest, but really it was the coolest lol

The writing style of this one was a little weird tho. It immediately opens on her denying her tea that her mother’s been forcing her to drink. She doesn’t explain why she’s having reservations or why she’s decided she’s done. And then all these things that she’s started seeing that no one else sees and it’s like we were just thrown in there? I wasn’t a huge fan of that. I would have liked a bit more back story first and then went into that scene.

The part of her writing style that drew me in tho was the descriptions of things. Like the rose bushes and the trees and the way Derek was acting and all that. I just got lost in the descriptions. It was like watching a movie. I could smell the tea and everything. She just has really pretty writing. It just needs to be molded in a different way? I don’t know how to explain it.

The rest of it was the mystery, but I don’t want to say anything to spoil it. It didn’t actually feel like a mystery tho. It was a bit repetitive in that department actually. I wish there had been more red herrings or other clues rather than just having the same ones about Derek or her “gift” over and over. Especially since she doesn’t even know what it means. It wasn’t exactly boring, but it wasn’t my favorite part of this book either tho.

This was my favorite of her books, but it still wasn’t my favorite in this genre. I’ll still mostly definitely be recommending this, but it just wasn’t my favorite. Just because it wasn’t my favorite, I’m not going to deny it being someone else’s! Neilson is super nice and so are her books! Give them a try!

I really wanted to love this one. Sadly, the pacing was off and I felt it was a tad to slow. I look forward to the next book from this author as the writing is still very beautifully done.

I’m Not Supposed To Be In The Dark is a beautifully written book. Two former teenage friends who are both struggling through their own grief and finding themselves.

Aria’s family has hidden something that they know about her for her entire life. But as she’s gotten older it’s harder to hide it and she knows she can see the dead. Aria’s ex best friend Derek has been acting weirder than he usually has. Although they’re not friends anymore, she still watched him. When Derek suddenly starts being friendly again with her one minute and then back cold the next Aria believes something is wrong with him. Something is wrong because Derek’s is possessed by a young man who died but can’t pass over. Can Aria use her power of seeing the dead to help get the spirit that it possessing Derek to its resting place.

This is the first paranormal book I’ve read in a while and my first read by Riss M. Neilson and it did not disappoint. Did you see the gorgeous cover? That’s truly what sucked me in without even knowing that the book was about. It was spooky and page turning. I couldn’t put it down. Family secrets, working the grief of the death of a parent as a teenager, learning who you really are, friendships and found family were important spacers in this book. In my opinion, it was just enough romance for a YA book. I enjoyed the book and cannot wait to read more from this author. (Please check trigger warnings before reading)

This was such a beautiful, mesmerizing, and haunting paranormal YA romance. I finished it a few days ago and I’m still thinking about it. The ending gave me goosebumps. And the cover??? Too good.

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I’m Not Supposed to Be in the Dark is a supernatural dark YA novel with a hint of romance and self-discovery. Aria is entering her senior year in high school and a lot is changing for her. Being able to see into the spirit world she notices some odd happenings in her neighborhood. A rose bush mysteriously dissolves to ashes, her ex best friend is sneaking around, and her grandfather is being incredibly secretive. Upon noticing, Aria decided to make her own path and goes on a journey of self-discovery and helping others.
I found I’m Not Supposed to Be in The Dark to be a page turner. I became fully invested in cast of characters, and enjoyed the dynamics between Aria, Derek and Bri. There is a fair bit of angst but not overwhelming it fits with the typical dynamics with in the characters age range. It does talk about parties and underage drinking, however, again well with in the scope of the setting. It stays true to the high school experience. Over all I enjoyed it quite a bit and would recommend it to my own children.

I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley and am leaving this review of my own volition.

I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark was eerie and thrilling, with the perfect amount of slow-burn romance. Aria's story was interesting, and I enjoyed figuring out the mystery of who she is with her. Both Marcus and Derek stole my heart, and the ending was a definite tear-jerker. Although it took me a while to warm up to Bri, she absolutely pulled through at the end, and I was rooting for her and Val the entire time.

My only complaint is it felt slow at times, the middle of the book especially. Other than that I loved the characters and the mystery.

4/5 stars

I love books set in my hometown qnd this one is even better because it brings magic to Providence!💙 Aria knows something is different about her qnd that the tea her family makes her drink is supposed to “help” her but when she stops drinking it and a whole other world begins to come into focus she realizes there may be more to her and the world than she understands. Then when her ex best friend/crush starts to act strangely, or one might say possessed, she realizes she is going to have to tap into her powers and her emotions to solve their problems. A beautiful book about the magic around us and the dead’s desire for rest, I love this author and look forward to her next book!

- I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE DARK is a little bit creepy and a little bit romantic, and set in a fantastic world of old secrets and beautifully described magic.
- The writing in this book is lovely - great descriptions of the paranormal elements and also the complicated emotions Aria feels throughout.
- For me, the kids took a little too long to take the problems to the adults who clearly had all the answers. But the ending makes it seem like there might be a sequel on the way, and I'll definitely be checking it out.

THIS BOOK WAS SOOOO GOOD! Definitely recommend it!

It is about 17 year old Aria who can feel and see ghosts, but due to a special tea she's been drinking for years her connection to the spiritual world is severed.
One day, the rosebush of her neighbor (& old bff, Derek's) house dies suddenly, after thriving for decades. It rots and leaves a dying smell but the same day that happens Derek begins to talk to her, after not talking to her for about a year.
Derek's behavior is super weird and Aria discovers he is possessed. Aria is determined to help Derek. as this ghost is killing him slowly. But in saving Derek, what will this mean for Aria?

So, I usually don't like YA fantasy novels but this did not feel like that at all. There's a bit of romance and suspense mixed in so it all blended into the perfect mixture.
I liked how Aria took control of her body and just the whole story in general.
This felt like realistic fantasy (which doesn't make sense!) but it was fantastical in the fact it dealt with ghosts and the spiritual world but felt like it could be something that occurs every day.

I definitely suggest adding this to your TBR list.

Thank you to the publishers for this ARC as well as an amazing beautiful finished copy,
It was nice having the finished copy to compare it to the ARC.

I had high for this book, but it didn't work in my favor at all. I found the story to be slow and the pacing was off as well.

I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark was certainly an interesting read. I liked the idea of tea helping to block Aria out from the spirit world and her trying to reconnect with her Lolo at his eccentric shop. When the story was focusing on that I really enjoyed it. I felt like the pacing was really slow and sometimes the story felt jumbled and that it took quite awhile into the story before anything super interesting happened. This made it really hard to read for me. Overall I think readers who don't mind a slow paced supernatural read will enjoy this one but it just wasn't for me.