Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu masterfully blends elements of the supernatural with deep emotional exploration. The story centers around Violet, who finds herself starting middle school, dealing with a changing friend group, and her family's move into an old Victorian house only adds to her struggles, especially when she is relegated to an isolated attic bedroom covered in hideous yellow wallpaper.

The story reminds me of themes from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. Violet's physical health is repeatedly written off by doctors, friends and school administrators. However, Violet's parents never stop believing her, even as her condition worsens. This unwavering support is a crucial aspect of the narrative, contrasting with the frightening reality that most people think Violet is fabricating her condition.

Ursu skillfully weaves together multiple storylines, each contributing to the overall narrative. The supernatural elements, including the malevolent spirit hiding behind the wallpaper, are handled with subtlety and grace, enhancing rather than overshadowing the human drama at the heart of the story. Violet’s journey to acknowledge the wallpaper and free herself from its influence through knowledge is a powerful metaphor for reclaiming agency and confronting one's fears. However, the pacing can be uneven at times. Some sections feel drawn out, while others rush through important plot points, leaving readers wanting more detail and development.

This is a book that stays with you, inviting reflection long after you’ve finished and reminded me that I should never trust wallpaper.

Anne Ursu is a fantastic storyteller and this book is no different. I loved the spookiness of the book and the the author used ghosts to discuss topics around mental health.

What happens when you are trapped inside your own body and no one will believe your side of the story?

This is a well done middle school story inspired by The Yellow Wallpaper.

Violet has just entered the monster that is middle school (which is its self scary) her friends aren’t in her classes and she feels like she is alone at school. On top of that her family has moved into this new house and she has been put in the creepy attic room with its ugly yellow ivy wallpaper. she has been hit with an unknown illness that no one believes and makes her feel more isolated than ever. She has to face both internal and external forces to discover what is really wrong.

This book was good and creepy and kept you wondering what was happening to Violet until that last 1/4 of the story. I love how realistic it was for Violet when she was dealing with her mysterious illness; some people believed her and others did not. I thought that the author's note at the end was very insightful.

Graduating to middle school and moving into a new house at the same time would stress anyone out, but Violet is further ruffled when she's obliged to sleep in the attic bedroom. She's very anxious about Covid, so when she gets sick and doesn't seem to be getting better, everyone thinks she's just overreacting. Middle school becomes chaotic as friend groups reform, and Violet isn't sure if her exhaustion, fainting, and dizziness are because of anxiety or something more sinister.

Well, I considered DNFing this book at about 40%, but I continued on hoping that I'd connect more strongly with Vi. I'm pretty over middle school drama at the moment, so the bullying and peer pressure felt like weird distractions from the real problem. Vi's chronic illness is addressed thoughtfully and reflects an unfortunate but authentic situation. I love her family and the way they support her no matter what, but I was disappointed that this ghost story doesn't feature any signs of a ghost until about 60% through.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book for middle grades. It was the best book I have read for that age about chronic illness. It made that complex topic accessible for young readers through an interesting story about a ghost. It showed the complexity of middle grade friendships and blended families. Young readers will love this book.

Blown away listening to the audio galley of @anneursu’s #NotQuiteaGhost thx #NetGalley. Feminists are so often given supposed empowering books that then reinstate messages of the Patriarchy. Violet has agency and a whole lot of strength! It’s a feminist must read.

A middle grade retelling of the novella, The Yellow Wallpaper.

A young girl moves into a new place and after a sleepover comes down with a virus, but can't seem to get over it. She has to rest inside a creepy attic bedroom with old wallpaper, and it creeps her out to be there. As her parents take her to different doctors, nobody can come up with a proper diagnosis. Meanwhile she struggles with maintaining friendships.

As with much horror it is a practice of enduring discomfort. New and uncomfortable environments continue to present themselves over and over. A new home, social anxiety, medical misdiagnosis, and dabbling in the occult and ghosts.

This was a very creepy middle grade ghost story, but the coming of age stuff is really what caught me in the feels.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this complimentarily ARC

Not Quite a Ghost will keep your attention through all of Violet’s ups and downs, downs, and more downs. From bumpy friendships, a mysterious illness, and something creepy in her bedroom, Violet struggles with all of it and more in middle school.

Navigating middle school can be tough. It is even tougher when you move to a new house and your room has you banished to the third floor which happens to be creepy. Violet misses her old house and is having friend trouble and just can't seem to kick this illness. All that is made worse when something strange starts happening in her bedroom.
Opinion
This is a great scary story for kids. It is relatable and the creep factor is high. Along with being scary, it teaches that friendships come and go but to look to the ones who stick by you for true friendship. Overall, I found this to be a captivating and charming story.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to Walden Pond Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The title and cover are catchy. This story is about friendships and finding out who you are. It also has information that maybe some parents have dealt with before when they have had a sick child and the doctor feels it is a mental health issue and pushes it off. There were times the narrator repeated the same sentence a couple times. I wasn’t sure if it was a flaw in the narration, or if it was part of the book. I am a speech therapist and it was almost like a whole sentence stutter. I will not use this book, for my therapy, but if kids are asking for a good book to read, I will recommend this one. I have lots of students that come to me for book recommendations, including the librarian. I tell her what to purchase for the school library.

Did I expect to love a middle grades book inspired by “The Yellow Wallpaper” this much? I will be honest…I had very middle-of-the-road expectations for this book and it certainly surpassed them. This book felt so real and transported me back to my tween years and all of the emotions that come with being in middle school. The friendship struggles were very relatable, the blended family/stepparent-stepchildren dynamic was represented well, and the supportive parents fighting for medical answers were a wonderful example to see. I recommend this book to MG readers, fans of the original short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and anyone looking for a quick but quality read. Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

Spoiler alert, somewhat. I really enjoyed this story but felt there could have been more to explain or elaborate how it ended; it seemed a bit abrupt. Overall though, a good story that is worth reading! Likeable main characters and believable relationships in the family, friends and visits to doctors. Thanks to #NetGalley for the eAudio ARC