I loved this weird and amazing book. The narration was perfection, as I expected. The entire book was good. I loved the examination of "fame" and branding.

This Is Not a Ghost Story is a tricky one for me—it’s neither a book I can say I loved nor one I disliked. On one hand, it’s a character-driven journey, following the compelling “will she make it in Hollywood?” arc while keeping you guessing whether this almost-human ghost is real. What really caught me off guard, though, was the dramatic, deliberate turn the story takes near the end—and that part, I genuinely enjoyed.

This is a very creative look at where death may take us and how one might come back. The celebrity that ensues as John plops down from the Gray House into the real world, and how he get a group of friends and regains some ways to interact with the world is highly imaginative and engaging.

This is such a unique book that I'm finding it hard to settle on a rating. It was definitely entertaining and engaging, but I was left wanting a bit more. This author has a bright future.

This is not a bad debut, but I would never categorize it as Horror. “This is not a ghost story” has a premise with great potential. John, a black man, lives happily in his large comfortable home after his death. One day an entity, in the form of a gray man, enters John’s home. Pushed by the gray man, John finds him self suddenly in LA, and becomes an object of great curiosity as the first person to return from the here- after.

The story starts off strong, but lags in the middle. I think Amerie shows promise as a writer and I look forward to reading her next work. The audiobook edition is read by Leon Nixon, January LaVoy, and Robin Mills.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Amerie stuns in this debut novel This Is Not a Ghost Story. John is happy at his house in the ocean...until he is pushed out into the light and ends up in the land of the living-as a ghost. John is the first person to come back from "the other side", and he is thrust into the limelight. But all he wants to do is get back to the safe haven of his home.

A super interesting premise, but it definitely fell a tiny bit flat for me. There was a huge turn at the end that made me gasp as I was picking out sprinkles at the store for my twin's birthday cake.

Thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for access to the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinions.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Struggling to review this because I can sort of see that there is a target audience for this book - but I was not it. I thought this was boring and contrived. Sorry!

I wanted to love this one… the premise had all the ingredients for something thought-provoking and memorable. But unfortunately, it just didn’t land for me. The pacing felt uneven, and the atmosphere never fully settled into the kind of tension I was hoping for.

The multi-narrator format had potential, but most of the voices didn’t quite resonate. The standout for me was January LaVoy (as always), but the rest felt a bit mismatched and didn’t hold the story together in a way that worked for me.

A great concept, but the execution fell a little flat.

This one just didn’t land for me, and I wish it had. I went in hoping for an eerie, atmospheric ghost story, but about a quarter of the way in, I realized I wasn’t connecting with the characters or feeling drawn into the plot. Despite a promising setup, I found myself losing interest in what was happening and didn’t feel any real investment in the outcome.

That being said, the writing is genuinely strong—vivid and well-crafted, with some beautiful descriptive moments. I can see how fans of this genre and style might really enjoy it, especially those who appreciate moody, immersive storytelling. It just didn’t spark anything for me personally, and that’s okay. Not every book is meant for every reader.

2.5/5

I think the raw materials were there but the plot line didn't quite come together in the best way.

I'm not usually good at it, so the fact that even I could guess the plot twist early on is probably indicative that the plot could have been revised a bit.

In my humble opinion, this novel could have done with more editing. I think the author tried to include too much so that the book wasn't boring, and didn't quite execute in the cleanest or clearest way. Even taking away one of the supporting characters (the publicist could go, honestly-- she could have been a hand of god type, and even Mabel OR the House) to better develop the others would have been better. In the end, I only feel ambivalence towards them all, including John :( . The main plot and side quests were fine, but the handling of some of the side characters was messy and confusing.

On top of the character profiles, I think the handling of the main quest to find this House and what the House means could also have been handled better. Mabel was kind of a cop out, and I had no problem with her role in the story, but I actually think it could have been her OR the House, given their history. It didn't need to be both, and choosing only one and developing the story that way may even have been more interesting.

The male voice actor was terrible and inconsistent at trying at the accent for John. He literally had one job. Production should have chosen someone else. Mabel's point of view (and narration), while interesting, was sometimes jarring and felt random or out of place, going with the point I made above of choices.

All in all, I'm happy to read Amerie's debut novel. It's inspirational to be able to chase multiple dreams/have multiple careers. I'm sure future novels will be better.

I have decided to DNF this audiobook. I am having trouble paying attention; however, I did get a physical copy of this book and do intend to read it. The story itself is interesting and something that I want to continue to read, just not in the audio format.

The narrators spoke a bit slowly and it kind of lulled me to dreamland, which is honestly a compliment, because their voices were so soft and buttery. Just not something I can give my full attention to at this time!

The story of John, a ghost, and his journey to find his house. This journey is both dynamic and symbolic, with relationships made and revealed along the way. I loved shifting tones in this book, going from a very relatable setting where John is interacting with people to a description of an eerie, shadowed region that clings to the unknown and mysterious entity. I wish the book was longer because some parts felt slightly rushed and left me wanting more. But overall, this was a unique and interesting story. Thank you NetGalley!

Thank you so much to HarperAudio and NetGalley for this ALC of This Is Not A Ghost Story.

This one was a bit hard for me to get into. I loved the found family, and that John kind of discovered his purpose throughout the book. It felt a bit jumpy with all the different POVs. Also, the main plot point almost seemed like an afterthought at times because there was so much going on. I did laugh out loud several times and really enjoyed the dry humor though.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrators.

This story felt disconnected to me and wasnt what I expected from the description of the book. This is definitley a cozy read and a good book if you want to just read for relaxation and casually, but it didnt have any thing that made me want to keep coming back. I originally received the audio from netgalley but ended up finding the physical at my Library because I thought holding the book would make me want to pick it up more. Its not a bad story and it has its cute and funny moments, its just not what i expected and I didnt feel intrigued by.

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, and the entire team behind this release for the early listen!

I was so excited to dive into This Is Not a Ghost Story—mainly because I’ve been a huge fan of Amerie as a musical artist for years. So seeing her name on a novel, especially one with a haunting premise? I couldn’t hit play fast enough.

The setup had promise, and I went in expecting a chilling ghost story or something atmospheric. But what I got instead felt more like an abstract, genre-blending experiment. The story leaned less into horror and more into speculative fiction with a surreal, satirical edge—and that shift didn’t really work for me.

The changing timelines, inconsistent POVs, and a sprawling cast of characters made it hard to stay anchored in the story. At times, it felt like scenes were building toward something meaningful, only to drift off and never tie back into the main plot. There’s definitely creativity here, but the structure made it difficult to stay invested.

Amerie’s voice shines through in moments, and her ambition as a storyteller is clear. I just wish the narrative had been more cohesive and grounded—it felt more like a rough draft than a fully realized ghost story.

🕯️ Final Thoughts: A concept with potential and a creator I admire, but this one lost me along the way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)

I don't know this book didn't keep my attention. The story started off well but as we went on I didn't really have any connection with the two main characters. John's introduction was very interesting and how he interacts with everyone and the mystery of the gray house but I lost interst as he was going on TV shows and making money. The Persephone character was okay but I didn't care for her goals to be an actress. I also didnt find her guilt about her brother to be believeable. The surprise mystery was lackluster as well.

Thank you for providing access to the arc.

This book was clever and very well written. The author has a way of writing that keeps you absorbed in the story, wanting to push on to see what's next, even at 3am.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for this copy of "This Is Not A Ghost Story" by Amerie. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts.

While I had to double check the title of the book after I started listening to this book, this is indeed not a ghost story, but rather a story about a ghost. There are elements related to ghosts, but they tend to be more figurative than literal e.g. people haunted by their past, the 'soulless-ness' of The Industry, the giving and taking of life, fate, etc. I was really interested in the 'day to day' life of a ghost that was stuck on the mortal coil. The idea of corporate sponsorship, branding and messaging felt super grounded as, of course, there would be money in being (and representing) a ghost. I also liked how entangled the characters became and the slow unpacking of how they all fit together.

I'll admit I had trouble connecting with the 'other side' stuff. The resolution felt like a letdown, especial when contrasted against the rapidly escalating 'real world' conclusion that peaked with some wild action. There are more than a few moments where it feels the rules are established then rewritten (or unwritten entirely) to make sure the characters all arrive the predetermined destinations.

Overall, I believe this is a fun and unique story but I was pulled in two directions that seem to want to tell two tonally divergent stories.

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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