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sscherer0410's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bethandthebooks's review against another edition
2.0
This Is Not a Ghost Story is completely different to what I was expecting and while I didn’t particularly enjoy it, I think a lot of younger readers will. It’s an intriguing story about 17-year-old Daffodil Franklin and her plans for a quiet summer before her freshman year at college. She manages to find a job housesitting a mansion and while she expects it to be easy money, there’s something about the house that will be hard for her to ignore.
Unfortunately, I had trouble connecting with Daffodil. I found her to be very annoying and not an interesting character. The way she speaks irritated me and I thought she was trying too hard to impress the reader that it almost felt forced. Also, she comes across as so unbothered by everything that it plays down what could have been a creepy, atmospheric thriller. While she’s housesitting, some strange paranormal activity happens such as furniture moving, strange noises and a ghostly presence. There’s some very strange scenes with her neighbour and there’s also some construction work being done which sparks even more bizarre scenes. While I found these scenes creepy, I didn’t fully understand why they happened. Honestly, I had more questions than answers with regards to the horror aspects of this story. It didn’t help that Daffodil just shrugged it off and went about her day like everything was fine rather than investigating it.
The plot flips between the past and the present as Daffodil looks back on her high school years. I found the past events to be much more interesting than the present, however, there was some painful YA tropes in here, the worst of which was Daffodil describing herself as dull, unforgettable and a loner in school. Despite this, she manages to catch the attention of Zander, who is seemingly sought after by every teenage girl, but he only has eyes for Daffodil. They fall in love and Daffodil talks us through their relationship and how it went from romantic to troubling as Daffodil and Zander both had very different ideas about their futures. Throughout the story, she also hints at a traumatic event that happened in the past that she’s ignoring. This, coupled with the short chapters, was enough to hold my interest for a little while but it could have been a lot more exciting.
In the present day, Daffodil spends a lot of her time watching Netflix in bed and while this might be relatable, it was pretty boring to read about, especially since she did this day after day. This meant that the plot dragged for most of the story and all the good things happen towards the end. The ending took me by surprise and I thought it was a unique way to wrap up the story, however, the shocking ending wasn’t enough to make up for how boring the middle part was. I think This Is Not a Ghost Story will be appealing to younger audiences as they might find Daffodil more relatable. I just couldn’t connect with her at all and I was hoping for a more chilling story.
**Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest view.**
Unfortunately, I had trouble connecting with Daffodil. I found her to be very annoying and not an interesting character. The way she speaks irritated me and I thought she was trying too hard to impress the reader that it almost felt forced. Also, she comes across as so unbothered by everything that it plays down what could have been a creepy, atmospheric thriller. While she’s housesitting, some strange paranormal activity happens such as furniture moving, strange noises and a ghostly presence. There’s some very strange scenes with her neighbour and there’s also some construction work being done which sparks even more bizarre scenes. While I found these scenes creepy, I didn’t fully understand why they happened. Honestly, I had more questions than answers with regards to the horror aspects of this story. It didn’t help that Daffodil just shrugged it off and went about her day like everything was fine rather than investigating it.
The plot flips between the past and the present as Daffodil looks back on her high school years. I found the past events to be much more interesting than the present, however, there was some painful YA tropes in here, the worst of which was Daffodil describing herself as dull, unforgettable and a loner in school. Despite this, she manages to catch the attention of Zander, who is seemingly sought after by every teenage girl, but he only has eyes for Daffodil. They fall in love and Daffodil talks us through their relationship and how it went from romantic to troubling as Daffodil and Zander both had very different ideas about their futures. Throughout the story, she also hints at a traumatic event that happened in the past that she’s ignoring. This, coupled with the short chapters, was enough to hold my interest for a little while but it could have been a lot more exciting.
In the present day, Daffodil spends a lot of her time watching Netflix in bed and while this might be relatable, it was pretty boring to read about, especially since she did this day after day. This meant that the plot dragged for most of the story and all the good things happen towards the end. The ending took me by surprise and I thought it was a unique way to wrap up the story, however, the shocking ending wasn’t enough to make up for how boring the middle part was. I think This Is Not a Ghost Story will be appealing to younger audiences as they might find Daffodil more relatable. I just couldn’t connect with her at all and I was hoping for a more chilling story.
**Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest view.**
3iii8v's review against another edition
3.0
As many many other reviewers have said, the book was very predictable. It was also lacking entirely in conflict. Perhaps it was the author’s heavy use of foreshadowing. Perhaps it was the subject and plot. Either way, there’s nothing at all exciting, challenging or novel about this story.
mitchell_1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
plurabelle's review against another edition
2.0
Tried 3 times to get into this, and it just didn’t work for me. I’m not sure if it was a problem with the pacing or if I just couldn’t connect with the story, but it just didn’t click with me.
vegantrav's review against another edition
2.0
As you are reading, you will say to yourself, “Please, not that twist.” But it is that twist. And that takes this book from 3 or 3.5 stars to 2 stars.
Good grief! It’s so predictable and so played out.
You’re waiting for that delicious bag of microwave popcorn, but you burned it, and now the kitchen just stinks.
Good grief! It’s so predictable and so played out.
You’re waiting for that delicious bag of microwave popcorn, but you burned it, and now the kitchen just stinks.
candyb0x's review against another edition
I DNFd this book 2 times, both in the first few chapters.
I just couldn't stand the narration style and the situatio seemed really fake to me
I just couldn't stand the narration style and the situatio seemed really fake to me
thatashgirl83's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0