This was so well written, and original and I enjoyed every bit of it. It was such a unique story! I loved John and going on this journey with him.

I got 10% into this book and decided this is not for me. The writing style is fine but it doesn’t grip me. I don’t care about the main character. I would rather read the spark notes of what happens rather than go through the 300 page novel. I added this to my TBR without knowing much about it and I think that was a mistake. I checked the goodreads reviews this book has received so far and people seem to agree with me. I’m sure this book will find its audience but that’s not me. The people who are already fans of the author might have a higher chance enjoying it.

This Is Not a Ghost Story. It is a ghost’s story. John is a ghost. He was unceremoniously kicked out of his home by a mysterious force that he calls The Grey Man. All John wants is to return to his house and continue his peaceful “life” there. He befriends a teenage boy, Ruben. Together, they try to achieve John’s dream because even ghosts deserve a happy ending.

Wow! This book is completely different from anything I’ve read before in any genre. John’s ghostly nature isn’t a twist in the plot like in the movies The Sixth Sense or The Others. No, John’s existence is a given from the first chapter. As the narrator, John has a different way of expressing himself, which is shown by the book’s unusual prose style. You, the reader, are never allowed to forget that John is not like us.

This Is Not a Ghost Story is a terrific twist on the old haunted house ghost story tropes. I really enjoyed reading it and was compelled to finish it in one overnight reading session. If you like unique stories, read this book. You won’t be disappointed. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advanced review copy.

The premise for this book was quite appealing. The execution, however, fell a little short.

Somehow, society seems to just accept the arrival of a ghost in Los Angeles. There’s very little dismay or concern. When John signs on with a publicist, he attains instant celebrity status. Everything was just a bit too pat.

My biggest problems with the narrative were the times when John met someone and had a vision of a scene from the person’s past. There are no transitions into those scenes, so I would find myself halfway through the paragraph before I realized who and what I was reading about.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable story with a very good twist towards the end, but reading it takes a bit of effort.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not my favorite book. Felt extremely chaotic, hard to get into, all over the place. It seemed like a really cool premise but it loses it so quickly.

Oh how I would have loved this book if it went the way I thought it would go before getting into it. I liked John, the main character, and if it didn't turn into this weird reality show thing. Like, this man needs help. I'm sorry, I didn't care for it. 2 stars for the idea of it.


Thank you so, so much to William Marrow and Netgalley for this advance readers copy. My opinions are my own.


#William Marrow #Netgalley

I was really excited for this book. The synopsis sounded like something I would adore. Unfortunately I just wasn't a fan of the writing style. It felt like brain dump writing and very chaotic. The plot wasn't moving forward either and it was playing out different than I hoped. It felt a lot like the movie Soul except the other way around and that was also bugging me with the similarities. I chose not to finish after reading for a while.

This was a very unique read. I liked that this was not a traditional ghost story, but more in the sense of finding yourself and tying up loose ends. The premise of the book is amazing and very creative. This is definitely a book you have to pay attention to or else you may get confused, but it’s totally worth it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. I loveee the author and was very excited to read it. However, it was extremely hard for me to stay engaged with the plot. At times it felt all over the place and it was hard for me to understand what was going on. I may pick this back up later to see if I can give it another chance

Celebrity Culture
Humanity
Consequences
Starting off I will say I kept going and coming back to this book. I did not read it by itself in one go. With that said, there were some parts that were confusing to me. I loved how it started out! It starts to get a bit complex as you continue reading. I like to think it’s also commentary on society’s reaction to celebrities and parasoical relationships. A very interesting read exploring humanity and how our actions impact other people’s lives.
I would definitely recommend this to literary fiction readers! There are sections that are confusing or feel draggy. However, I could picture this as a movie. The focus starts on John but switches to how John and Persephone are intertwined. The characters did change throughout the book and it’s so relieving on how they changed, especially Persephone. Overall, a nice debut (but maybe read in doses.)

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.