I didn't know what to expect from this book as I was immediately drawn to it by the front cover and went in reasonably blind, and WOW this book is stunning from the writing to the story line everything is perfect

In this beautiful novel we follow Adam, a Japanese-American teenager, figuring out how to belong. The story starts out quite dark, sad, melancholy and confusing. It took me a fair amount of patience to get into.
It picks up proper speed when Adam finds an old diary and decides to travel to Japan to learn more about his ancestry and the writer of this intriguing story.
Soon history starts to repeat itself and the reader is taken on a journey that spans decades and travels between the modern western world and Japanese folklore, rituals and musical tradition. A captivating read.

Thank you Netgalley and Head of Zeus / Zephyr for the ARC.

I dunno, I just found this okay.

I was surprised when I wasn't digging the ghost diary entries like I thought I would, given that there were a lot of interesting things happening, but I nearly found myself skimming past just to get back to present day with Adam. Not because I was enjoying it, for I found Adam to be insufferable at times, but at least it was able to hold my attention more than the diary entries. Maybe because they were written in big blocky texts, like an actual diary. More realistic, yes, but it was hard for me to read, especially when the writer was describing the words she exchanged rather than separating them from the paragraph, if you get what I'm saying.

As I said, I didn't really like Adam. Yes, he was going through a lot, with his terrible boyfriend, emotionally neglect father, and general self-worth issues. Maybe it's the neurodivergence in me, but if someone wrongs me, especially if the relationship was romantic, I wouldn't go crawling back to them like Adam did multiple times throughout the book. It got even messier when he got involved with another boy while in Japan, and it really dragged the whole plot for me because I did not like what was happening at all. Plus, the reason behind his mom's death involved the dad cheating, and while Adam got angry about it, it got swept under the rug by the end, which confused me more than anything.

Anyway, this was certainly something I read. Kinda sad I didn't like it more, because there are some good bits about Japanese history that I liked, but it was the whole I couldn't vibe with.

I can only say wow. Probably my favourite read of the year so far. I absolutely adored it. Would definitely recommend.

Songs for Ghosts was an unexpected treasure. I went into it with no prior knowledge, and I’m so glad I did. This beautifully written novel is a testament to meticulous research and precise language, pulling me into an emotional journey I wasn’t prepared for—but thoroughly enjoyed.

The story made me feel deeply. I laughed, cried (mascara was ruined), it made me want to start playing the biwa (which is an expensive and extremely hard to find instrument!), and I even found myself inspired to book tickets for a performance of the piece that inspired this novel (yes, I know it appears on the description, but I‘d like to give people a chance to read it with little to no prior knowledge). It’s rare to find a novel that captures both the mind and heart in this way.

The prose was exquisite, filled with highlight-worthy passages that had me longing for a physical copy to annotate. While I won’t spoil anything, I will say that the less you know going in, the more profound the experience will be.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early copy.

I am incredibly grateful to both NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read and review Songs for Ghosts. Being selected to explore this captivating story before its official release has been such a treat, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it with all of you. A huge thank you to the teams at NetGalley and Head of Zeus for their generosity and for making this advanced reading experience possible.
Adam has just broken up with his boyfriend, Evan. He is not looking forward to the excruciating awkwardness at school for the rest of the term or a whole summer stuck at home with dad, stepmom and baby brother.
But then Adam discovers a diary in some boxes in the attic and is quickly enthralled by their poignant story. The diary was written by a young woman living in Nagasaki in 1911. Adam becomes absorbed in her story then he starts to be haunted by her ghostly presence.
Songs for Ghosts totally and utterly consumed me. I was so engrossed in this story.
I most certainly need either a break from reading for a hot minute or to read something super light as a palette cleanser because I have an extreme book hangover right now.
This story made my head and my heart hurt but in the absolute best way. It was so beautifully written.
The story itself was intriguing and I just couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what happened. This is a story that will stay with me forever, everything felt so real.
Songs for Ghosts is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is so tragically beautiful, I truly recommend that everyone read this book.

Songs for Ghosts is such a good story. Loved every single detail of this book. Loved everything about this book. The plot, the characters, super impecable.