It’s definitely a slower read, more vibes than plot at times, but if you’re into thoughtful, slightly surreal stories that make you feel things (and think about life a little differently), it’s worth picking up. Just go into it knowing it’s not horror

Weird, strange, slow, and it just wasn’t for me.

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I really wanted to like this one. I loved the concept (and cover!) and while I did find some of the language to be exactly the kind of lyrical I'd expect from a singer-songwriter, on the whole I had a tough time following the story and feeling connected to the larger tale rather than individual scenes. The narration didn't grab me either, which was a surprise. I really like January LaVoy but the combination of narrators just didn't draw me in and I struggled to keep the threads of the story together almost from the outset. This one wasn't a good fit for me...

This was a good audiobook I immersive read with the ebook and it was a good combination. It was a great way to feel the book and story completely. This was an interesting book. It was intriguing, with a suspenseful, atmospheric feel. It’s a unique twist on the ghost story genre, focusing on personal struggles as much as supernatural mystery. Gripping and thought provoking.

Blown away by the creativity and world in this one. I finished days ago and am still pondering the story itself and how everything played out. This would be an amazing book for a book club discussion.

This book was really hard for me to get into. I almost DNF but pushed through. The start is like being dropped into the middle of a story and you are supposed to already know all the characters and their relationships. Once I got my footing, it’s an interesting concept but also so completely unbelievable that it’s obvious this would never happen. The author tries for a surprise plot twist at the end, however you can see it coming from about midpoint through the book. Overall, it was underwhelming and so unbelievable that I just never really got into it.

I love Amerie and was really looking forward to this one, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. While the premise had potential, the execution just didn’t hold my attention, and I found the audiobook to be underwhelming and forgettable.

The story follows John, a Black man who mysteriously returns from the dead, quickly becoming a media sensation. As he searches for a way back “home,” he connects with new friends and enters a fake dating arrangement with a woman grappling with her complex relationship to racial identity. Somewhere around this point, I found myself tuning out—the plot felt disjointed, and the characters didn’t quite resonate with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review. Sadly, this one didn’t work for me.

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing an e-audio version of this book for my review.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The overall idea is interesting, but it quickly went off track for me. The book went more to a fiction / satire-ish than a ghost and afterlife story and it didn't work for me. This book is really hard to review without spoilers, so I'm struggling with what else I can say about it.

I didn't like that the POV's changed and time lines blended together a bit. Felt like far too many characters, difficult to keep track of everyone. And this felt a bit like a draft, as it's kind of all over the place. There would be a long section that then turned out to have nothing to do with the plot or character development.

This was really hard to finish because I just didn't care for it. I did finish it for this review, but really didn't enjoy the overall story.

2 stars

This Is Not a Ghost Story had all the ingredients for something great: an intriguing premise, an eerie atmosphere, and a setup that drew me in early on. But unfortunately, it just didn’t quite come together the way I hoped.

There were definitely moments of promise, and I can see what the author was aiming for, but the execution felt a little uneven. The pacing dragged in places, and the story seemed to wander without a clear direction at times. I kept waiting for that big payoff, but it never fully landed for me.

The audiobook narration was solid, and there were flashes of really strong writing throughout. I wanted to love it, but in the end, it just didn’t hold my attention the way I hoped it would.

Still, I appreciate the creativity and originality of the concept. With some tightening and a bit more clarity, this could’ve been a much more powerful read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the narration, which was engaging and well-paced, but overall, the story didn’t quite land for me. It felt like something was missing in the plot development and I wasn't captivated in the way I hoped. Quite a unique premise, but ultimately not a story that will stay with me.

I think there is a definite audience for this book but sadly that audience is not me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This Is Not a Ghost Story by Amerie (book cover is in image) for me was a marketing betrayal. There is no doubt that Amerie is a talented writer, but this was marketed as a Satirical Fantasy novel. This book certainly as not that, I would classify it as magical realism.

Like in the book The Strange Case of Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker or The Names by Florence Knapp, it fell like this book was struggling to find its genre/identity and in the end was left wholly unsatisfied because it could not choose one. In addition its ambiguous ending, fell like a thud.

I had the opportunity to read the ARC and listen to the ALC at the same time, and found it easy to switch between the two. The narration by Leon Nixon, January LaVoy and Robin Miles was expertly done, and is what kept me engaged throughout the book.

Thank you Harper Audio Adult, WIlliam Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 10 2025

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Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC of this book. This is Satire. With some supernatural tones. When I started this book I was reminded of South Park and John Edward's episode. Then as I kept reading this it just got too much for me. I liked John but the other characters seemed whinny to me.

This is Not a Ghost Story is a book that had a lot of potential based on the synopsis. Knowing from the title that it is not a ghost story I didn't expect a sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. I knew it would be a more literary story. I was interested in reading about how this man who had come back to life and was being thrust into instant stardom would navigate the world. Instead the book took a detour from his story to instead focus on a woman hired to be his pretend girlfriend and her issues dealing with her race and featurism. Though the writing style is straight forward at the same time it was choppy and murky with the shorter chapter formatting.

Title: This is Not a Ghost Story
Author: Amerie
Genre: Satire
Format: 🎧
Narrators: Leon Nixon, January LaVoy and Robin Miles
Publisher: HarperAudio Adult/Harper Audio
Pub Date: June 10, 2025
My Rating: 2.5 Stars
Pages: 304

John is a ghost; but this is not a scary ghost story.
John lost his home -‘The Grey House’. It is on an island and completed surrounded by the ocean. John loves to look out any of the window in the 20 room house and see the ocean and wants is get back to what was a peaceful existence. He has not been outside the house so only knows what it looks like from the inside. Nor does he remember his past life.
He develops friendships; people who want to help him with his goal of getting back to his safe place. He also has help from a Hollywood agent - The agent states no way can he be promoted as Dead, Black Gay guy as no one would find that believable. The agent suggests an actress-wanna-be plays his girlfriend and the son of a psychic becomes his sidekick. The story then got more involved in Persephone’s story.

It was a challenging for me to stay interested in what was or wasn’t going on.
Disappointed as it wasn’t the fun satire I was expecting.
BTW: I did like the narrators – In fact, January LaVoy is one of my very favorite audiobook performers!
However, even she wasn't enough to save this for me 🤔

Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio Adult/Harper Audio for this audiobook..
Publishing Release Date Scheduled for June 10, 2025.