Why have I not heard anyone talking about this book! The concept is fascinating and I loved her writing style. The whole thing felt cinematic, I could see the writing play out while reading it. Such a stellar debut.

Oh, Amerie. You are as good as a writer as a performer. I hope this is just the beginning of your book career.

Did you ever see that movie "Heart and Souls? What about Soul from Pixar? Take that into mind.

John lost "The Grey House". This is his home, on an island, surrounded by the ocean. He can see the ocean from any room in the house. John also can't remember life before this home. Then, after a shadow pushes him out of his house, he lands in Los Angeles. As expected, he soon has a Hollywood agent, he IS the first person to come back from the 'other side'. Along the way, on his desperate journey to return to The Grey House, he makes more friends and business decisions that he hope will bring him back home.

It's kind of an obvious story (see above references) but it's still a good story. This is about the people around us, how help us, and how home is sometimes, just in the middle of the ocean.

Thanks to NetGalley and the opportunity to read and review.

very well written and very interesting work. felt very much along the lines of Soul, but the other way around. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Other reviewers seemed to cheerlead Amerie because they had followed her previous career as a book tuber. I had no idea, and I do not think one should have to know an author’s previous career to enjoy—or not enjoy—their book.
This was not a bad book. It simply wasn’t an especially good one, and it could have been. There were some worthwhile pieces. Amerie writes well and turns more than a few pretty, philosophical phrases. The premise and some of the moving parts were promising. If the book had better explored the promises made by the back cover text, it could have been fascinating. However, it doesn’t. That’s mostly forgotten about within a chapter. The world goes, “Oh, look, a visible ghost…” and then the effect of John’s nature on the world is a few sentences scattered throughout that suggest scenes I would much rather have seen.
It just came off as unearned cliché after abandoned possibility. Amerie either pulled her punches or didn’t know what to do with the story, so she rushed ahead. When she needs to get her characters somewhere, the answer is not “because they have inner lives and want to be there for their own reasons” as “because that is where the next set piece is.” The same can be said of the supernatural elements, which exist only when they become useful to cause a conflict, but do not arise or exist organically.
Others have brought up the “twist.” It isn’t a twist. You’ve watched movies in the last forty years. You had to have a decent idea of what was happening.
So, maybe borrow this book from the library rather than making it a permanent part of your collection, but look out for her next book. She has definite talent, but this book didn’t show the confidence to use it to its full potential.

I think This Is Not a Ghost Story is one of those books where if you tend to pick something up and put it down, read something else, and pick it up again, you'll have to commit to either reading this in one go or not reading anything else and giving it your full attention. I found myself getting lost in the narrative at times, and not necessarily in a good way. While the writing is accessible, eloquent, and ultimately engaging, the concept of a butterfly effect or domino effect can be difficult to keep the thread of, and that's what ended up happening to me.

I did feel like this went much deeper than I was expecting, which I loved. I think if you're wary of celebrities diving into writing books that this wariness can be rested here—Amerie's background as a writer shines and this is a solid debut.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

3.75 ⭐️s
🚨 Pub Date: 06/10/25

I'm not sure how I feel about this story. On one end I was extremely invested in knowing what will happen next, but at times I felt confused as to where the story was going. I will say, it did wrap up and I think I understand the message and the overall point. This book felt like the epitome of the butterfly effect. Our actions, no matter how big or small, can lead to possible consequences for somebody. I feel like at times the story telling felt kind of awkward and discombobulated. The story was straightforward when it was, but with the journey of John being a ghost this is probably where the confusion came in. And I guess that makes sense because he was literally this mysterious and elusive man who really didn't know what was going on his damn self. He was quite literally a ghost looking like a regular man which is confusing. But I think structurally figuring out what a present thought was versus the memories, whether they were his or someone else's, threw me off at times.

I enjoyed the friendship and the development of John's "humanity" as he became close to Ruben and Persephone. I will say that I kind of wish this story was told in the majority of John's POV. It technically was and I understand the purpose of Persephone's POV, but I didn't find her interesting on her own, if I'm being honest.

It was more of a confusing read like if you stop reading and then come back to it, you going to have to recap what you read before to understand what you previously read. It was a pay attention to plot line read. It was more deeper than what I thought it was going to be. Kind of like he had some unfinished business but, stuck here. All the while, John could interact with everyone and was still seen and at some point he could eat. The longer he was stuck here more discoveries were made.

This had so much good potential and a suggestion if you do read is to throw out everything you know about paranormal and just go along with the book, think about grief and crossing over through the last few chapters and it makes the enjoyment of the book all the more worth it.

*This Is Not a Ghost Story* by Amerie is a thought-provoking and satirical exploration of identity, fame, and the afterlife. Through the story of John, the first visible ghost to return from the dead, the novel deftly critiques celebrity culture and modern society's obsession with spectacle while also delving into themes of self-discovery and personal transformation. With sharp humor and poignant moments, it is an unforgettable journey that challenges the notion of what it truly means to live and be seen.

*I received an e-ARC from the publishers on NetGalley*

This book was not what I was expecting it to be. I thought the focus was going to be a lot more on John and the world responding to him as a ghost. It started this way and then quickly evolved into more of Persephone’s story. I really liked the friendship between them and Reuben but it felt like the book didn’t really pick a lane and was trying to have 2 different plots. I was also confused when John had flashbacks from other people. It was hard to tell when we were in a flashback and when we came out of it. Maybe that was the point but left me feeling more confused than anything. I also feel we never really got a wrap up of Mabel’s story. It felt like she was just there to move the plot along at the end. I did really enjoy the way the friend’s stories came full circle and the commentary on how race is perceived in America. This book is a solid 3 stars for me because while there were elements I really enjoyed, I feel the plot could have been a bit more succinct.

John is the first person to return from the afterlife as a ghost, let alone him being a Black man. He has no memories of his past life, how he died, nor why he ended up pushed from his haven in the afterlife into modern-day Los Angeles.

Through the dubious assistance of an unlikely team of allies (a stern publicist, a failed psychic, and an aspiring actress), John navigates finding out who he was before his afterlife haven with the backdrop of a media frenzy.


My thoughts:
The dialogue exchanges and character interactions were the strongest aspects of this book. The voices and personalities for each character were very distinct. The House was also an interesting character in its own right. The imagery of John's haven was otherworldly enough without boggling us readers down to understand its logic. I also liked how much thought went into how ghosts work in this world, and the book expands the possibilities of what a ghost story can be.

The structure and pacing of the narrative was where it lost me. From the synopsis, I expected the story would be told from John's perspective only, but it interjects with two other perspectives. These additional perspectives, in turn, had the side effect of some parts of the story being either too meandering or too fast.

I enjoyed seeing how all the key characters connected with each other as the story goes on, despite their disparate backgrounds. However, some of these connections and emotions behind these connections felt too rushed for my preference.


Overall:
I give this book 3.75/5.

The story reads like a disorienting dream, with a ghost finding unlikely friends and those unlikely friends finding each other. If you like stories that subvert ghost story tropes, blurs the lines between life, death, and misfits coming together, then it's worth reading through once.

I figured I wouldn’t get the arc but was so surprised when I saw the approval that I immediately downloaded it. The first couple of pages sorta left me a bit unsure of what to expect. But once I kept reading the story drew me in and you understand that what appears to be a group of random misfits is far more deliberate if you dig deeper. This story was touching and beautiful. Sometimes there are parts of the story that seem disconnected but it really is highlighting the collective of memories being drawn up. I wasn’t expecting it to highlight these ideas but appreciated it and found it very creative. This book was a beautiful read about life and fate and everything in between.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

I tried, I really did. I thought the synopsis sounded like the type of books I usually love. However, I just could not get into this one .

This story will haunt you!

In her surreal fiction debut, Amerie, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, delivers a novel that floats between genres — part satire, part mystery, part mediation on identity, grief, and what it means to be seen. This Is Not a Ghost Story revolves around a literal ghost.

We meet John in the afterlife where he previously existed peacefully in his House without time, food or much thought. Suddenly, a Grey Man enters his peace and he is summarily ejected in the world -modern-day Los Angeles, After a few false starts, John becomes an instant sensation: a Black man who returns from the dead.

The satire is sharp. The Hollywood machine that exploits John’s ghost-status for profit is eerily familiar. He is paired with fake romances, scripted spirituality, and identity politics negotiated like ad campaigns for companies. John however continues to seek - a quest to reclaim — agency, connection, identity.

Amerie’s writing is...haunting. She navigates themes of race, fame, memory, and love with short bursts of description — often letting silence and surrealism do the heavy lifting. This is a novel that you will be thinking about many months from now.

#ThisIsNotAGhostStory #Amerie #LiteraryFiction #WilliamMorrow #BooksThatHaunt

3.75 stars...first off thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC. I enjoyed it. The chapters were short, the characters were lovable, the plot was intriguing. There were a few parts that had me wanting it to speed up. This was a different take on the afterlife and finding friends along the way and redemption. Yes I would recommend this to readers. I think people would enjoy this book.

THe reviews were good on this book but i could not get into the story. Maybe it's just me but i could barely finish.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a departure from what we usually read about when someone is a ghost. John is very confused about where he is to start with, and when he is summarily "kicked out" of the Grey House, he starts interacting with the physical world in an attempt to find his way back. He has no memory of why he was there - only that it was peaceful. HIs journey to recover his memories is mindbending, and the truths we are reminded of throughout his journey hit home. Far from a conventional ghost story, this book connects a spirit to so many in the conventional world, with a huge plot twist at the end that will truly hit you in the heart and make you examine your beliefs of how we are interconnected. Make sure you read this book!!!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This Is Not a Ghost Story by Amerie is a captivating and atmospheric novel that combines elements of suspense, mystery, and the supernatural. The story follows a character who grapples with strange and unsettling occurrences, blurring the line between reality and the supernatural. Amerie’s writing is engaging and full of tension, drawing readers into an eerie and thought-provoking narrative. With its intriguing plot and rich atmosphere, This Is Not a Ghost Story keeps readers hooked until the very end. It’s a great choice for those who enjoy suspenseful stories with a supernatural twist.