What do you think?
Rate this book
Songs for Ghosts
'A beautiful and highly original voice' Observer
'A deeply satisfying read' Irish Times
'Pure captivation from one of Ireland's rising talents' Irish Examiner
From Catfish Rolling's Clara Kumagai, a second novel full of longing, love and heartbreak, inspired by Puccini's Madame Butterfly.
Turn the page, strike a chord.
There are restless ghosts to be appeased...
When Japanese-American teenager, Adam, discovers a diary in his attic, he is enthralled by its account of a young Japanese woman's life. A hundred years separate them yet she, like Adam, is caught between cultures, relationships and heartbreak.
She also writes of the ghosts that have begun to seek her out, which Adam dismisses as fantasy – until he too, begins to be haunted. It leads him to Nagasaki, trying to solve the mystery of the diary, and his own identity.
And the ghosts gather...
'A deeply satisfying read' Irish Times
'Pure captivation from one of Ireland's rising talents' Irish Examiner
From Catfish Rolling's Clara Kumagai, a second novel full of longing, love and heartbreak, inspired by Puccini's Madame Butterfly.
Turn the page, strike a chord.
There are restless ghosts to be appeased...
When Japanese-American teenager, Adam, discovers a diary in his attic, he is enthralled by its account of a young Japanese woman's life. A hundred years separate them yet she, like Adam, is caught between cultures, relationships and heartbreak.
She also writes of the ghosts that have begun to seek her out, which Adam dismisses as fantasy – until he too, begins to be haunted. It leads him to Nagasaki, trying to solve the mystery of the diary, and his own identity.
And the ghosts gather...
457 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2025
36 people are currently reading
2201 people want to read
About the author
Clara Kumagai
3 books74 followersClara Kumagai is from Canada, Japan, and Ireland. Catfish Rolling, her debut novel, was a 2024 YOTO Carnegie Medal nominee, shortlisted for the Great Reads Award and winner of the 2024 KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year. She lives and writes in Ireland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Read
August 5, 2025
The Best New Books of August in Every Genre:
Adam found an old diary in his attic, and he's immediately connecting with the story shared inside it by a young woman from Nagasaki, Japan. They have a lot in common, despite 100 years between them.
But as Adam reads on, he's finding it hard to believe the girl who writes about being haunted by ghosts. That is, until he begins to feel those spirits himself and realizes the only way to figure out what's going on–both for him and for the girl in the diary–is to figure out her identity.
Adam takes a homestay in Nagasaki and it's an opportunity for him to reconnect with his heritage and discover the truth about the girl from the diary. He has so many experiences he didn't know he needed, including reconnecting with family members and finding a crush in Jo. Together, they're going to solve the mystery of the diary girl–that is, if it's not too late to do so.—Kelly Jensen
Adam found an old diary in his attic, and he's immediately connecting with the story shared inside it by a young woman from Nagasaki, Japan. They have a lot in common, despite 100 years between them.
But as Adam reads on, he's finding it hard to believe the girl who writes about being haunted by ghosts. That is, until he begins to feel those spirits himself and realizes the only way to figure out what's going on–both for him and for the girl in the diary–is to figure out her identity.
Adam takes a homestay in Nagasaki and it's an opportunity for him to reconnect with his heritage and discover the truth about the girl from the diary. He has so many experiences he didn't know he needed, including reconnecting with family members and finding a crush in Jo. Together, they're going to solve the mystery of the diary girl–that is, if it's not too late to do so.—Kelly Jensen
February 2, 2025
In this beautiful novel we follow Adam, a Japanese-American teenager, figuring out how to belong. The story starts 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.
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.
June 15, 2025
"And I'll tell you what I never could before, because sometimes I didn't mean it and other times I was afraid you wouldn't say it back: you're my mother and I love you."
A book that I had a hard time putting down! "Songs for Ghosts" is a layered and complex narrative, infused with a deep and strong emotion. It is, essentially, a story about many stories, the people in those stories and how they were able to connect, through time, grief and death. But it also a story about something that conquers it all: love.
I really enjoyed reading this book, even though it is not my usual genre. Adam goes through a journey of self-discovery, but in doing so, he connects with so many people and, in a way, with life itself, in ways he couldn't before! I really loved reading his development as a person, with his friends and his family. This book is full of different family realities and the struggles and nuances that accompany them, but also the ways they can come together and support one another, to become better. I enjoyed reading this aspect of the story a lot!
And while I wouldn't add this book exactly into the fantasy category, there are elements of magical realism present throughout the chapters of this story and they add a layer of the fantastic to it. But it is also a layer of culture and tradition, from Japan, that I loved learning about! This book is clearly well planned and researched.
All in all, this was a bit sorrowful to read at times and I felt anguished over Adam and Jo, but also Yuna and her family, but mostly, over Kiku and Haru... But this is a story about finding yourself and your roots and, in the end, everyone found what they needed and I loved it! Even if it isn't your usual genre, I recommend any reader to give this book a try!
A book that I had a hard time putting down! "Songs for Ghosts" is a layered and complex narrative, infused with a deep and strong emotion. It is, essentially, a story about many stories, the people in those stories and how they were able to connect, through time, grief and death. But it also a story about something that conquers it all: love.
I really enjoyed reading this book, even though it is not my usual genre. Adam goes through a journey of self-discovery, but in doing so, he connects with so many people and, in a way, with life itself, in ways he couldn't before! I really loved reading his development as a person, with his friends and his family. This book is full of different family realities and the struggles and nuances that accompany them, but also the ways they can come together and support one another, to become better. I enjoyed reading this aspect of the story a lot!
And while I wouldn't add this book exactly into the fantasy category, there are elements of magical realism present throughout the chapters of this story and they add a layer of the fantastic to it. But it is also a layer of culture and tradition, from Japan, that I loved learning about! This book is clearly well planned and researched.
All in all, this was a bit sorrowful to read at times and I felt anguished over Adam and Jo, but also Yuna and her family, but mostly, over Kiku and Haru... But this is a story about finding yourself and your roots and, in the end, everyone found what they needed and I loved it! Even if it isn't your usual genre, I recommend any reader to give this book a try!
December 1, 2025
“‘That is why we remember. Each story from the past is one for the future.’” (368)
This is one of the most thoughtful and beautiful books I’ve read in a while—and definitely one of the BEST books I’ve read this year! It’s one of these incredible stories that I’ve heard NO ONE mention???
Ostensibly, this is a YA queer romance blended with a supernatural/historical fiction mystery.
Half of the book is told in epistolary fashion—through the letters left my a Japanese woman, recounting her life and struggles during a transitional period not just for Japan but for the world.
The other half is set in the present-day and follows Adam—a half American, half Japanese teenager trying to find where he belongs amidst a myriad of questions about his identity and what he wants. This story revolves around his discovery of the Japanese woman’s letters in some of his late mother’s old things.
Adam quickly finds himself at the heart of a decades long mystery—what happened to this writer? And, why is her ghost seemingly now haunting him?
Through unraveling this woman’s story, Adam learns not only more about his own complicated heritage and how to navigate his feelings but he also learns about Japan’s imperial history, American imperialism in the Pacific Ocean, and the long legacy of grief left in the wake of so many horrors.
I’m so appreciative of how this story blends so many elements together into such a coherent and compelling narrative about so many important but often “swept under the rug” events from history. The amount of research that went into this book is commendable and should be what we expect from more stories.
More, this book is SO WELL-WRITTEN. Talk about craft and consideration. The writing paired with the storytelling just captivates you from the start. By ten pages in, I was HOOKED.
I believe this book deserves so much more attention than it’s gotten.
I mean, this is a haunting book.
Not because it’s about “hungry ghosts out to get you” but because it delves into how hunger for power on both sides of WWII and the lead-up to it caused so much harm to so many people. No one escaped unscathed. So many people died. So many loved ones were lost, their stories seemingly lost with them.
This book really highlights the importance of remembrance—for the grieving process and for learning from mistakes.
Healing can’t happen without that remembrance and acknowledgement.
Anyway.
This is a beautiful and provocative book. Please read it~
This is one of the most thoughtful and beautiful books I’ve read in a while—and definitely one of the BEST books I’ve read this year! It’s one of these incredible stories that I’ve heard NO ONE mention???
Ostensibly, this is a YA queer romance blended with a supernatural/historical fiction mystery.
Half of the book is told in epistolary fashion—through the letters left my a Japanese woman, recounting her life and struggles during a transitional period not just for Japan but for the world.
The other half is set in the present-day and follows Adam—a half American, half Japanese teenager trying to find where he belongs amidst a myriad of questions about his identity and what he wants. This story revolves around his discovery of the Japanese woman’s letters in some of his late mother’s old things.
Adam quickly finds himself at the heart of a decades long mystery—what happened to this writer? And, why is her ghost seemingly now haunting him?
Through unraveling this woman’s story, Adam learns not only more about his own complicated heritage and how to navigate his feelings but he also learns about Japan’s imperial history, American imperialism in the Pacific Ocean, and the long legacy of grief left in the wake of so many horrors.
I’m so appreciative of how this story blends so many elements together into such a coherent and compelling narrative about so many important but often “swept under the rug” events from history. The amount of research that went into this book is commendable and should be what we expect from more stories.
More, this book is SO WELL-WRITTEN. Talk about craft and consideration. The writing paired with the storytelling just captivates you from the start. By ten pages in, I was HOOKED.
I believe this book deserves so much more attention than it’s gotten.
I mean, this is a haunting book.
Not because it’s about “hungry ghosts out to get you” but because it delves into how hunger for power on both sides of WWII and the lead-up to it caused so much harm to so many people. No one escaped unscathed. So many people died. So many loved ones were lost, their stories seemingly lost with them.
This book really highlights the importance of remembrance—for the grieving process and for learning from mistakes.
Healing can’t happen without that remembrance and acknowledgement.
Anyway.
This is a beautiful and provocative book. Please read it~
March 6, 2025
Seventeen-year-old Japanese-American Adam has just broken up with his boyfriend, and now faces the agonising task of having to tackle the rest of the school term, freshly single while navigating everything that comes with being a student, and this is made more complicated when coming face to face with his ex on several occasions, leading to nothing but more hurt and embarrassment…
When Adam stumbles upon an old diary while exploring his attic, he cannot help but be drawn to this mysterious artifact of a time gone by, and is quickly captivated and enchanted by the story of a young Japanese woman, their lives mirroring each others, both torn between two different worlds.
Who was this woman, and just when and where did she write her story? Adam soon becomes engulfed in her life and feels the words on the pages resonate with his own struggles, yet the diary holds much more than just a personal history: she also writes about ghosts that have started to haunt her, something Adam quickly dismisses until he starts to feel the chill of her presence, haunting him, urging him to finish her story.
Adam searches for answers and this takes him to Nagasaki, leading to the blurring of lines even further between the diary’s secrets, and his own identity.
A century apart, yet their lives are tethered by shared experiences of displacement, heartache, and longing.
Will Adam be able to bring peace to not only himself but the ghost too, and can he come to terms with truly being comfortable with who he is?
This novel will not only break your heart, it will also fill your soul with love, joy, and beauty.
When Adam stumbles upon an old diary while exploring his attic, he cannot help but be drawn to this mysterious artifact of a time gone by, and is quickly captivated and enchanted by the story of a young Japanese woman, their lives mirroring each others, both torn between two different worlds.
Who was this woman, and just when and where did she write her story? Adam soon becomes engulfed in her life and feels the words on the pages resonate with his own struggles, yet the diary holds much more than just a personal history: she also writes about ghosts that have started to haunt her, something Adam quickly dismisses until he starts to feel the chill of her presence, haunting him, urging him to finish her story.
Adam searches for answers and this takes him to Nagasaki, leading to the blurring of lines even further between the diary’s secrets, and his own identity.
A century apart, yet their lives are tethered by shared experiences of displacement, heartache, and longing.
Will Adam be able to bring peace to not only himself but the ghost too, and can he come to terms with truly being comfortable with who he is?
This novel will not only break your heart, it will also fill your soul with love, joy, and beauty.
July 7, 2025
I was immediately hooked by the diary in the beginning, but it took Adam’s more mundane story a long time to catch up. He feels very passive, not shaping his own story pretty much at all - and that doesn’t feel resolved over the course of the story. Poor Daniel, for example, relegated to a plot device and never getting any resolution. I also would have liked to see more of Yuna and earlier.
The diary entries - Japanese imperialism, American imperialism, musical tradition in Japan, feminism in the early 1900s in Japan, ghosts and war histories - were compelling from the first entry to the last. They made up for Adam’s stagnation in the beginning, which then picked up slightly in the second half. Though, again, so much of Adam’s “plot progression” was incidental (people less cynical than me would say fate/destiny, probably).
It still felt like there were quite a few dropped threads and unresolved ideas. But I loved Catfish Rolling enough that I would definitely pick up another Kumagai book.
{Thank you Abrams for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}
The diary entries - Japanese imperialism, American imperialism, musical tradition in Japan, feminism in the early 1900s in Japan, ghosts and war histories - were compelling from the first entry to the last. They made up for Adam’s stagnation in the beginning, which then picked up slightly in the second half. Though, again, so much of Adam’s “plot progression” was incidental (people less cynical than me would say fate/destiny, probably).
It still felt like there were quite a few dropped threads and unresolved ideas. But I loved Catfish Rolling enough that I would definitely pick up another Kumagai book.
{Thank you Abrams for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}
February 7, 2025
songs for ghosts is a heartwarming story of love, grief and an exploration of the past. i really enjoyed learning about japanese culture, especially the topic of what happens after you die which was new to me. i also really liked reading the diary passages and the difference between japanese and american culture back then, i often found myself sympathising with the diary owner a lot as her story was very emotional. also the discussion of being openly gay in japan vs america was also interesting. however, i found it hard to really connect and stay interested in the story when it was from adam’s pov. i felt him to be quite annoying in some instances especially with the way he’d interact with some of the characters. especially evan, the dismissal of his weird, pushy behaviour had me feeling pretty annoyed and i wish his actions were met with consequences rather then being brushed aside.
thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this arc.
thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this arc.
July 17, 2025
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
Songs for Ghosts is a beautiful, tragic story of the power of stories and love, as well as the way past choices can create cycles throughout time. I’m unfamiliar with it, but in the afterword the author talks about Songs for Ghosts being a retelling of Madama Butterfly opera by Puccini where Cio-Cio-San has more agency than just the reductive submissive wife trope.
Adam is a seventeen year old whose boyfriend just broke up with him because he was bored, essentially, and this devastates Adam. When his stepmom asks him to check the attic for some of his baby clothes for his half brother Benny, he also finds a box containing a diary from a hundred years ago where a nameless author recounts her life, marriage, loves, and becoming a mother. Over the course of reading the diary, he has an opportunity to go to Nagasaki as part of a home stay through his Japanese classes, which is the part of Japan the unnamed author came from, and he takes this as a chance to learn who she is and was and what happened to her.
This story does a lot with layered stories and how several elements of the diary’s story echo the story of Adam’s parents and learning how he’s connected to the diary’s story. I loved how there were so many stories within the story because the diarist also recounts the stories of the ghosts she puts to rest with her biwa and folktales that have shaped her understanding of the world. I’m a sucker for stories within a story, and I think Kumagai did a great job balancing them as well as creating a mystery for Adam to follow.
I also really liked that Adam is a messy teenager figuring himself out. He hurts those around him because his feelings are big, but he also recognizes when he’s hurt someone and works to be better. There is some romantic elements, and honestly one of my favorite things is how it ends, with both Adam and Jo recognizing they have more growing to do but planning to stay in touch and see what happens in the future.
I really enjoyed this book, especially as we learned more about the diarist’s life and her haunting picked up pace. I didn’t find this book particularly scary, but there is definitely some well-executed tension that ramps up as the story progresses and the ghost becomes a hungry ghost. If you’re a fan of ghost stories, history and the present colliding and cycles of choices, and teenagers figuring themselves out, I highly encourage picking this book up when it releases August 12 in the U.S.
Songs for Ghosts is a beautiful, tragic story of the power of stories and love, as well as the way past choices can create cycles throughout time. I’m unfamiliar with it, but in the afterword the author talks about Songs for Ghosts being a retelling of Madama Butterfly opera by Puccini where Cio-Cio-San has more agency than just the reductive submissive wife trope.
Adam is a seventeen year old whose boyfriend just broke up with him because he was bored, essentially, and this devastates Adam. When his stepmom asks him to check the attic for some of his baby clothes for his half brother Benny, he also finds a box containing a diary from a hundred years ago where a nameless author recounts her life, marriage, loves, and becoming a mother. Over the course of reading the diary, he has an opportunity to go to Nagasaki as part of a home stay through his Japanese classes, which is the part of Japan the unnamed author came from, and he takes this as a chance to learn who she is and was and what happened to her.
This story does a lot with layered stories and how several elements of the diary’s story echo the story of Adam’s parents and learning how he’s connected to the diary’s story. I loved how there were so many stories within the story because the diarist also recounts the stories of the ghosts she puts to rest with her biwa and folktales that have shaped her understanding of the world. I’m a sucker for stories within a story, and I think Kumagai did a great job balancing them as well as creating a mystery for Adam to follow.
I also really liked that Adam is a messy teenager figuring himself out. He hurts those around him because his feelings are big, but he also recognizes when he’s hurt someone and works to be better. There is some romantic elements, and honestly one of my favorite things is how it ends, with both Adam and Jo recognizing they have more growing to do but planning to stay in touch and see what happens in the future.
I really enjoyed this book, especially as we learned more about the diarist’s life and her haunting picked up pace. I didn’t find this book particularly scary, but there is definitely some well-executed tension that ramps up as the story progresses and the ghost becomes a hungry ghost. If you’re a fan of ghost stories, history and the present colliding and cycles of choices, and teenagers figuring themselves out, I highly encourage picking this book up when it releases August 12 in the U.S.
November 1, 2025
Beautifully written novel about family and eternity, with ghosts and history thrown in for good measure. I would have absolutely adored this book, but for the romance which is just not for me. It should be an Adult fiction book with the content, but is YA.
March 6, 2025
I went into this book mostly blind and am pleased to say was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
This is a deep and diverse story about love, grief and Japanese culture. The author has such a delicate way of writing and I was so intrigued throughout this book.
Our main character is struggling and happens to find a diary. The events that we uncover will make you feel so many emotions and the dual timelines were portrayed in a very clever way I thought.
If you're in the mood for a mysterious story filled with betrayal and tragedy then grab this book! Also I'm sureI read somewhere that it was inspired by Madam Butterfly 🦋
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a deep and diverse story about love, grief and Japanese culture. The author has such a delicate way of writing and I was so intrigued throughout this book.
Our main character is struggling and happens to find a diary. The events that we uncover will make you feel so many emotions and the dual timelines were portrayed in a very clever way I thought.
If you're in the mood for a mysterious story filled with betrayal and tragedy then grab this book! Also I'm sureI read somewhere that it was inspired by Madam Butterfly 🦋
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2025
I devoured the second half of this book!
The story has so many layers. Definitely recommend, even if it's not your usual genre.
The story has so many layers. Definitely recommend, even if it's not your usual genre.
August 21, 2025
**My thanks to ABRAMS Kids and Amulet Books for providing me with an advanced review copy via NetGalley**
4.5 stars
An engaging Young Adult take on Madama Butterfly as a ghost story for modern teens, featuring a Cio-cio-san who is fierce rather than submissive and self-sacrificing, this book is perfect for fans of David Henry Hwang and Alice Oseman
The story centers around a gay Japanese-American teen who discovers the diary of a Meiji-era female Japanese writer, and becomes determined to calm her ghost by tracking down the threads of her story. At the heart of the tale’s mythology are blind biwa hoshi (biwa musicians), especially those who tell the Heike Monogatari, who have the ability to serve as bridges between the worlds of the living and the dead.
I really enjoyed the dual timelines of this story, which flipped between Adam’s story and that of the diary he was reading. I never felt as though I were waiting for one POV to end so I could get back to the other, and I really liked the threads of commonality evident between two very different lives and time periods.
I don’t think you need to be at all familiar with Puccini or Madama Butterfly to enjoy this novel, but I think those who are will see the opera in a very new light once they’ve read it.
4.5 stars
An engaging Young Adult take on Madama Butterfly as a ghost story for modern teens, featuring a Cio-cio-san who is fierce rather than submissive and self-sacrificing, this book is perfect for fans of David Henry Hwang and Alice Oseman
The story centers around a gay Japanese-American teen who discovers the diary of a Meiji-era female Japanese writer, and becomes determined to calm her ghost by tracking down the threads of her story. At the heart of the tale’s mythology are blind biwa hoshi (biwa musicians), especially those who tell the Heike Monogatari, who have the ability to serve as bridges between the worlds of the living and the dead.
I really enjoyed the dual timelines of this story, which flipped between Adam’s story and that of the diary he was reading. I never felt as though I were waiting for one POV to end so I could get back to the other, and I really liked the threads of commonality evident between two very different lives and time periods.
I don’t think you need to be at all familiar with Puccini or Madama Butterfly to enjoy this novel, but I think those who are will see the opera in a very new light once they’ve read it.
Read
September 2, 2025dnf @ 14%
January 30, 2025
~~Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC!~~
2.5/5 stars rounded down.
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.
2.5/5 stars rounded down.
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.
February 16, 2025
This was such a wonderful read. It’s outside of my usual genres so I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it. While it started a little slow I really was completely hooked by the end.
I found this to be an emotional read and I felt so attached to the characters and their struggles. There’s so much character growth and this book is full of the kinds of betrayal, tradgedy and love that both bruise and warm the heart and I had goosebumps by the end.
Fate and coincidence play huge roles and there are so many parallels between characters with repeating mistakes and friendships across generations, cultures and history.
There are many complex relationship dynamics across the friendships, romances, families and aquaintances we meet too. Plus, the characters are diverse including a mixed race (Japanese and American) MMC from the LGBTQ community. The challenges characters face based on their different cultures, journeys of discovery and emotions they feel because of them are surprisingly relatable.
The plot had great pacing and is filled with mystery and of course the supernatural which all add an extra layer to helping make this story so special. I loved the use of a diary and I felt genuine heartbreak for the strong, kind, intelligent writer of the entries.
I found this to be an emotional read and I felt so attached to the characters and their struggles. There’s so much character growth and this book is full of the kinds of betrayal, tradgedy and love that both bruise and warm the heart and I had goosebumps by the end.
Fate and coincidence play huge roles and there are so many parallels between characters with repeating mistakes and friendships across generations, cultures and history.
There are many complex relationship dynamics across the friendships, romances, families and aquaintances we meet too. Plus, the characters are diverse including a mixed race (Japanese and American) MMC from the LGBTQ community. The challenges characters face based on their different cultures, journeys of discovery and emotions they feel because of them are surprisingly relatable.
The plot had great pacing and is filled with mystery and of course the supernatural which all add an extra layer to helping make this story so special. I loved the use of a diary and I felt genuine heartbreak for the strong, kind, intelligent writer of the entries.
March 10, 2025
4.5 rounded up
Songs for Ghosts captured my heart completely (not surprising as my favourite musical is Miss Saigon) told from the dual timeline of the diary author and Adam, the reader, it deftly crafts a story which covers taboos and societal challenges across 100 years and an ocean, whilst also feeling deeply emotional and heartfelt.
This is a book of 2 halves focusing on the the diary entries, written as if in conversation with the authors recently lost grandmother, the second exploring Adams time in Japan.The diary begins Adams journey to learn about his heritage through the writers love of music alongside parallels to his own life and parents. Finding solace in the diary, a link to life in Japan as he struggles to feel wanted in a family where, following the death of his mother, no one looks like him. In Japan the story becomes a mystery to be solved as well as moments of self discovery, which are just beautiful to read as everything unfolds.
This story delves into the complexities of family dynamics, explores differences both in personality and culture, and examines the links between love and death and how music can bring people together. It was just wonderful!
Songs for Ghosts captured my heart completely (not surprising as my favourite musical is Miss Saigon) told from the dual timeline of the diary author and Adam, the reader, it deftly crafts a story which covers taboos and societal challenges across 100 years and an ocean, whilst also feeling deeply emotional and heartfelt.
This is a book of 2 halves focusing on the the diary entries, written as if in conversation with the authors recently lost grandmother, the second exploring Adams time in Japan.The diary begins Adams journey to learn about his heritage through the writers love of music alongside parallels to his own life and parents. Finding solace in the diary, a link to life in Japan as he struggles to feel wanted in a family where, following the death of his mother, no one looks like him. In Japan the story becomes a mystery to be solved as well as moments of self discovery, which are just beautiful to read as everything unfolds.
This story delves into the complexities of family dynamics, explores differences both in personality and culture, and examines the links between love and death and how music can bring people together. It was just wonderful!
June 1, 2025
This is the second of Clara Kumagai’s books I’ve read and the second that I have loved. I love how she takes traditional Japanese culture and entwines it with very modern stories. The previous had aspects of Sci Fi, but this was a contemporary about families, race and relationships.
This book had stories within stories within stories and I enjoyed them a lot. I enjoyed the re-imagining of Madame Butterfly and it was nice to see traditional ghosts stories I recognised from reading anthologies of traditional Japanese stories before.
This book doesn’t shy away from how complicated family can be, especially when there’s step family with a mixed race child. There’s multiple families involved with multiple dynamics and I found it really interesting to see them portrayed.
I can’t wait to see what Clara Kumagai comes out with next!
I was gifted this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Crossposted to thewhisperingofthepages.co.uk
This book had stories within stories within stories and I enjoyed them a lot. I enjoyed the re-imagining of Madame Butterfly and it was nice to see traditional ghosts stories I recognised from reading anthologies of traditional Japanese stories before.
This book doesn’t shy away from how complicated family can be, especially when there’s step family with a mixed race child. There’s multiple families involved with multiple dynamics and I found it really interesting to see them portrayed.
I can’t wait to see what Clara Kumagai comes out with next!
I was gifted this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Crossposted to thewhisperingofthepages.co.uk
July 9, 2025
Thank you Netgalley and Amulet Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“Songs for Ghosts” by Clara Kumagai is a hauntingly beautiful novel that bridges time, culture, and identity through a deeply emotional narrative. It tells the story of Adam, a young Japanese-American man whose life changes when he discovers a woman’s old diary hidden in his attic. What begins as curiosity becomes a journey of self-discovery that leads him across continents and decades, weaving his fate with that of people long gone.
The story unfolds in two parallel timelines. One follows Adam’s present-day struggles with belonging and identity, as he grapples with feeling disconnected from his Japanese heritage despite his mixed background. The other emerges through diary entries from an unnamed woman living in early 20th-century Nagasaki. These diary excerpts are a highlight of the book, offering an intimate window into Japanese culture, traditions, and the challenges faced by a woman navigating love, war, and shifting cultural tides. Readers praised these historical passages for their emotional weight and subtle evocations of Japanese folklore, including references to biwa music and the Heike Monogatari.
Clara Kumagai handles the dual narratives with great skill, drawing poignant parallels between past and present. Themes of grief, love, and the search for connection ripple through both timelines, creating a story that feels universal yet deeply personal. The story explores cultural divides and the loneliness of feeling caught between two worlds. It also touches thoughtfully on colonialism, generational trauma, and the lingering scars of war, adding historical depth without overwhelming the characters’ personal journeys.
Adam is a complex protagonist. He is flawed and sometimes frustrating, particularly in his interactions with certain characters, but his imperfections make him real and relatable. His struggles with language proficiency, cultural alienation, and a deep yearning to belong echo the experiences of many people straddling multiple identities. His journey through Japan like visiting places like Nagasaki and Fukuoka, forming bonds with locals, and experiencing both tourist joys and profound moments of introspection adds a vibrant, sensory layer to the narrative.
Though the story started a bit slowly and it was difficult for me to connect with Adam’s perspective compared to the compelling diary narrative, the book builds momentum and lands with a satisfying emotional impact. Fate and coincidence play significant roles, with Kumagai illustrating how lives can intertwine across generations, shaping destinies in unexpected ways.
Kumagai’s prose is simple yet evocative, balancing moments of sorrow with glimmers of hope and gentle humor. The book’s atmosphere is one of quiet melancholy, punctuated by glimpses of beauty and resilience. It’s a story that explores how the past lives on in the present, and how love, whether it’s familial, romantic, or self-directed, can transcend time, grief, and distance.
Overall, “Songs for Ghosts” is a moving exploration of heritage, identity, and the human desire to feel seen and connected. For readers who appreciate character-driven stories, subtle magic realism, and rich cultural detail, this is a novel that resonates long after the final page. Even if it’s outside your usual genres, it’s worth stepping into Adam’s journey and the ghosts who sing from the past.
“Songs for Ghosts” by Clara Kumagai is a hauntingly beautiful novel that bridges time, culture, and identity through a deeply emotional narrative. It tells the story of Adam, a young Japanese-American man whose life changes when he discovers a woman’s old diary hidden in his attic. What begins as curiosity becomes a journey of self-discovery that leads him across continents and decades, weaving his fate with that of people long gone.
The story unfolds in two parallel timelines. One follows Adam’s present-day struggles with belonging and identity, as he grapples with feeling disconnected from his Japanese heritage despite his mixed background. The other emerges through diary entries from an unnamed woman living in early 20th-century Nagasaki. These diary excerpts are a highlight of the book, offering an intimate window into Japanese culture, traditions, and the challenges faced by a woman navigating love, war, and shifting cultural tides. Readers praised these historical passages for their emotional weight and subtle evocations of Japanese folklore, including references to biwa music and the Heike Monogatari.
Clara Kumagai handles the dual narratives with great skill, drawing poignant parallels between past and present. Themes of grief, love, and the search for connection ripple through both timelines, creating a story that feels universal yet deeply personal. The story explores cultural divides and the loneliness of feeling caught between two worlds. It also touches thoughtfully on colonialism, generational trauma, and the lingering scars of war, adding historical depth without overwhelming the characters’ personal journeys.
Adam is a complex protagonist. He is flawed and sometimes frustrating, particularly in his interactions with certain characters, but his imperfections make him real and relatable. His struggles with language proficiency, cultural alienation, and a deep yearning to belong echo the experiences of many people straddling multiple identities. His journey through Japan like visiting places like Nagasaki and Fukuoka, forming bonds with locals, and experiencing both tourist joys and profound moments of introspection adds a vibrant, sensory layer to the narrative.
Though the story started a bit slowly and it was difficult for me to connect with Adam’s perspective compared to the compelling diary narrative, the book builds momentum and lands with a satisfying emotional impact. Fate and coincidence play significant roles, with Kumagai illustrating how lives can intertwine across generations, shaping destinies in unexpected ways.
Kumagai’s prose is simple yet evocative, balancing moments of sorrow with glimmers of hope and gentle humor. The book’s atmosphere is one of quiet melancholy, punctuated by glimpses of beauty and resilience. It’s a story that explores how the past lives on in the present, and how love, whether it’s familial, romantic, or self-directed, can transcend time, grief, and distance.
Overall, “Songs for Ghosts” is a moving exploration of heritage, identity, and the human desire to feel seen and connected. For readers who appreciate character-driven stories, subtle magic realism, and rich cultural detail, this is a novel that resonates long after the final page. Even if it’s outside your usual genres, it’s worth stepping into Adam’s journey and the ghosts who sing from the past.
October 23, 2025
My experience with the book was extremely middling, siding on positive. The book is split into two dominant subsections, the majority following the protagonist, Adam, and the other being journal entries from a Japanese woman in the early 1900's.
Pros:
The Tales of Heike and the Genpei War are topics that aren't well known outside of Japan, and it's refreshing to see Western media use it as a plot point is refreshing to see.
The journal entries are believable and creates a robust backbone of events. Probably my favorite part of the book.
Cons:
As someone who grew up in Japan and is half Japanese, half American, I often see pitfalls and stereotypes in media that is written about the country. Unfortunately, this book seems to stumble its way to many of them. When a good chunk of this story takes place in Nagasaki, it should be pretty evident what culturally and historically significant event I am alluding to.
Adam, at least to me, is an extremely unlikeable protagonist. He spends a majority of the book doing three things: being a passive passenger of his own life, being a jerk to his family, and making the most asinine relationship decisions. He doesn't become proactive until near the end of the book, and he just comes off as a major drag as his friends and his step mom decide things for him and he just goes along with it. It sometimes feels like he is forced to be the protagonist. The most action he takes as he reads the journal for some parts of the book are to either Google things he doesn't understand or the wax poetic about it.
The writing between the American friends read like a "how do you do fellow kids" type of script. It doesn't impact the overall work, but definitely caused a hiccup in the pacing.
The coincidences are sometimes too big. Especially when it comes to a character, there are times when I had to stop and try to rationalize the odds of something like this happening. There is some mention of "fate" being at play, but it still just seems like too much of a stretch. This one definitely threw me out of the book.
Overall, the only reason I can think this book is a 3 instead of a 2 is because of the journal entries. They definitely carried my enjoyment of the book. The best thing I got out of the purchase is the literature suggestions in the author's notes. Feminist literature from early 1900's Japan is something I did not know existed and I need to look into it.
Pros:
The Tales of Heike and the Genpei War are topics that aren't well known outside of Japan, and it's refreshing to see Western media use it as a plot point is refreshing to see.
The journal entries are believable and creates a robust backbone of events. Probably my favorite part of the book.
Cons:
As someone who grew up in Japan and is half Japanese, half American, I often see pitfalls and stereotypes in media that is written about the country. Unfortunately, this book seems to stumble its way to many of them. When a good chunk of this story takes place in Nagasaki, it should be pretty evident what culturally and historically significant event I am alluding to.
Adam, at least to me, is an extremely unlikeable protagonist. He spends a majority of the book doing three things: being a passive passenger of his own life, being a jerk to his family, and making the most asinine relationship decisions. He doesn't become proactive until near the end of the book, and he just comes off as a major drag as his friends and his step mom decide things for him and he just goes along with it. It sometimes feels like he is forced to be the protagonist. The most action he takes as he reads the journal for some parts of the book are to either Google things he doesn't understand or the wax poetic about it.
The writing between the American friends read like a "how do you do fellow kids" type of script. It doesn't impact the overall work, but definitely caused a hiccup in the pacing.
The coincidences are sometimes too big. Especially when it comes to a character, there are times when I had to stop and try to rationalize the odds of something like this happening. There is some mention of "fate" being at play, but it still just seems like too much of a stretch. This one definitely threw me out of the book.
Overall, the only reason I can think this book is a 3 instead of a 2 is because of the journal entries. They definitely carried my enjoyment of the book. The best thing I got out of the purchase is the literature suggestions in the author's notes. Feminist literature from early 1900's Japan is something I did not know existed and I need to look into it.
December 8, 2024
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.
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.
September 10, 2025
Utterly boring. One long, slow slog. I never truly felt tethered to anything — not a page, not a voice, not even a fleeting moment.
I thought the ghost diary entries would haunt me in the way I’d hoped — strange, stirring, and spellbound by sorrow — but instead, I found myself drifting. Skimming. Hoping to return to the present-day narrative with Adam, not out of love for his company, but because at least there, I could feel something closer to attention. The diary entries, penned in heavy blocks of text like the journals of the weary, felt too dense to wade through. Realistic, yes — but perhaps too much so. Conversations were buried in the prose, and I longed for space to breathe, to hear the words as they were meant to be spoken, not hidden in thick paragraphs.
Adam himself never quite drew me in. Yes, his world was unraveling — a cruel boyfriend, a cold father, a heart knotted with doubt. And perhaps it’s just how I’m wired, but I couldn’t understand the way he returned, again and again, to those who had already let him fall. I wanted to shake him free of it all. His entanglement with another boy in Japan only deepened the ache — not in a poignant way, but in a way that made the story feel lost within itself. Messy, in a way that dulled rather than deepened.
And then there was his mother — her death a quiet, aching thread tied to betrayal. His father’s affair, a fire that should’ve burned brighter in consequence, was barely touched by the end. It smoldered into nothing. I was left with ash and no clarity.
I thought the ghost diary entries would haunt me in the way I’d hoped — strange, stirring, and spellbound by sorrow — but instead, I found myself drifting. Skimming. Hoping to return to the present-day narrative with Adam, not out of love for his company, but because at least there, I could feel something closer to attention. The diary entries, penned in heavy blocks of text like the journals of the weary, felt too dense to wade through. Realistic, yes — but perhaps too much so. Conversations were buried in the prose, and I longed for space to breathe, to hear the words as they were meant to be spoken, not hidden in thick paragraphs.
Adam himself never quite drew me in. Yes, his world was unraveling — a cruel boyfriend, a cold father, a heart knotted with doubt. And perhaps it’s just how I’m wired, but I couldn’t understand the way he returned, again and again, to those who had already let him fall. I wanted to shake him free of it all. His entanglement with another boy in Japan only deepened the ache — not in a poignant way, but in a way that made the story feel lost within itself. Messy, in a way that dulled rather than deepened.
And then there was his mother — her death a quiet, aching thread tied to betrayal. His father’s affair, a fire that should’ve burned brighter in consequence, was barely touched by the end. It smoldered into nothing. I was left with ash and no clarity.
March 6, 2025
This might have been one of my most eagerly anticipated new releases this year. I really love Catfish Rolling, I think it’s a remarkable achievement of a book, and I was waiting not-so-patiently for Kumagai’s second novel.
There is a lot to enjoy here. There are lots of complex family relationships, particularly between Adam and his father and stepmother, which were explored in a really interesting and nuanced way. The cross-cultural themes were another strong point, giving the story and the characters plenty of depth. It was also a really absorbing read, and although they sometimes jarred against the modern setting, I enjoyed the diary entries from the past.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
This book juggles a lot of characters, themes, and ideas, and they didn’t come together quite as deftly as they did in Catfish Rolling. There were so many surprises in the last 100 pages or so that it felt slightly unsettling, with some plot lines having a surprising resolution and others having none at all. It’s a very ambitious novel, and it didn’t quite hit the mark when it came to tying everything together.
That being said it’s still a strong novel, and I will definitely be picking up whatever Clara Kumagai writes next!
I received a free copy for an honest review.
There is a lot to enjoy here. There are lots of complex family relationships, particularly between Adam and his father and stepmother, which were explored in a really interesting and nuanced way. The cross-cultural themes were another strong point, giving the story and the characters plenty of depth. It was also a really absorbing read, and although they sometimes jarred against the modern setting, I enjoyed the diary entries from the past.
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
This book juggles a lot of characters, themes, and ideas, and they didn’t come together quite as deftly as they did in Catfish Rolling. There were so many surprises in the last 100 pages or so that it felt slightly unsettling, with some plot lines having a surprising resolution and others having none at all. It’s a very ambitious novel, and it didn’t quite hit the mark when it came to tying everything together.
That being said it’s still a strong novel, and I will definitely be picking up whatever Clara Kumagai writes next!
I received a free copy for an honest review.
July 17, 2025
Songs for Ghosts is a story of love and tragedy; of lost family and found family; and of the human desire to feel connected with others.
The book unfolds between two story lines - the modern day where Adam, a half-Japanese boy, is struggling to connect with his family and with others in his life after a terrible relationship breakup; and the past through glimpses of pages of an unknown Japanese lady's diary that Adam found in his mother's old things. It is from reading this diary that Adam yearns to travel to Nagasaki to find out more about her as he delves further into her writings.
Overall, the book was enjoyable, but I felt like this book's writing style was geared toward middle school young adults without the tag to showcase this. There was a little bit tug-and-pull as interest between Adam's story and the young diary writer's story consistently clashed as most of the book presents snippets of Adam's story before dedicating the rest of each chapter to several diary entries from the young Japanese woman.
The layering of the stories and the connection that draws people together with parallel stories is a strong theme running throughout the plot. There are stories within the diary entries as well, creating a thought-provoking feeling of interest in learning more about these individual stories told. The book is aptly named - this is indeed a book full of songs for ghosts as what are songs if not different types of stories?
The book unfolds between two story lines - the modern day where Adam, a half-Japanese boy, is struggling to connect with his family and with others in his life after a terrible relationship breakup; and the past through glimpses of pages of an unknown Japanese lady's diary that Adam found in his mother's old things. It is from reading this diary that Adam yearns to travel to Nagasaki to find out more about her as he delves further into her writings.
Overall, the book was enjoyable, but I felt like this book's writing style was geared toward middle school young adults without the tag to showcase this. There was a little bit tug-and-pull as interest between Adam's story and the young diary writer's story consistently clashed as most of the book presents snippets of Adam's story before dedicating the rest of each chapter to several diary entries from the young Japanese woman.
The layering of the stories and the connection that draws people together with parallel stories is a strong theme running throughout the plot. There are stories within the diary entries as well, creating a thought-provoking feeling of interest in learning more about these individual stories told. The book is aptly named - this is indeed a book full of songs for ghosts as what are songs if not different types of stories?
November 3, 2025
Songs for Ghosts combines the themes of cultural identity, generational trauma, and the supernatural through the story of Adam, a Japanese-American teenager. He stumbles upon an old diary written by a young Japanese woman from a hundred years ago, leading him to visit Japan to investigate.
The story does start slow, focusing mostly on Adam's personal conflicts but it picks up when he travels to Nagasaki to follow the clues in the diary. As he encounters ghosts from the past, Adam begins to connect with his family's history in surprising ways. Both Adam and the diary writer's relationships between friends, romantic partners, and family members feel genuine, and we see how both Adam and the diary's writer face similar struggles with cultural identity across different generations. Some readers may find Adam annoying, especially in the beginning. He makes some frustrating choices to be sure, but he is a teenager and that makes it all the more realistic to me.
For those who enjoy a thoughtful pace and supernatural themes, Songs for Ghosts offers a heartfelt journey that lingers in your mind even after you finish it.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for facilitating me with a review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligation. I reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.
The story does start slow, focusing mostly on Adam's personal conflicts but it picks up when he travels to Nagasaki to follow the clues in the diary. As he encounters ghosts from the past, Adam begins to connect with his family's history in surprising ways. Both Adam and the diary writer's relationships between friends, romantic partners, and family members feel genuine, and we see how both Adam and the diary's writer face similar struggles with cultural identity across different generations. Some readers may find Adam annoying, especially in the beginning. He makes some frustrating choices to be sure, but he is a teenager and that makes it all the more realistic to me.
For those who enjoy a thoughtful pace and supernatural themes, Songs for Ghosts offers a heartfelt journey that lingers in your mind even after you finish it.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for facilitating me with a review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligation. I reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.
December 3, 2025
This is one of my top five favorite reads this year (out of about 130+ books total so far). Adam’s story hit so close to home, resonating just enough to feel seen without pushing me over into depression. It made me desperately wish I could be friends with him, just to let him know he wasn’t alone in his experiences and hold his hand when things got hard.
Blending complex notes of melancholy, yearning, cultural otherness, generational trauma, and familial healing… then threading it all with a supernatural threat? *chef’s kiss*
Sometimes, the characters felt so real that the ghosts felt real to me too. I was constantly looking over my shoulder with goosebumps zipping up and down my spine. I LOVED it. Run of the mill spooks and monsters in the horror genre are great, but this is the chilling and tender kind of haunting that I’ll treasure and remember for ages.
It’s super rare to find something that plucked so much at all my heartstrings. I usually borrow books and audiobooks through my library, but after reading this, I just had to track down a hard copy at my local bookstore.
I’ll definitely be curling up with it again in my reading nook when I want a hug (from a ghost). Can’t recommend this book enough!
Blending complex notes of melancholy, yearning, cultural otherness, generational trauma, and familial healing… then threading it all with a supernatural threat? *chef’s kiss*
Sometimes, the characters felt so real that the ghosts felt real to me too. I was constantly looking over my shoulder with goosebumps zipping up and down my spine. I LOVED it. Run of the mill spooks and monsters in the horror genre are great, but this is the chilling and tender kind of haunting that I’ll treasure and remember for ages.
It’s super rare to find something that plucked so much at all my heartstrings. I usually borrow books and audiobooks through my library, but after reading this, I just had to track down a hard copy at my local bookstore.
I’ll definitely be curling up with it again in my reading nook when I want a hug (from a ghost). Can’t recommend this book enough!
September 7, 2025
Initially, I found Adam's voice very exhausting. Even though it was intentional, he felt so passive, especially compared to the diary writer. It feels like he's just a conduit for the story to happen until he gets to Japan--and he barely even seems to care about that! But once he does, and once he begins to search for answers with Jo-kun, it turns into a beautiful story of generational trauma and how the stories of different families intersect thanks to World War II. Every part of this story about ghosts was tragically beautiful, and by the end of the book, Adam's character development was strong enough to leave me with a sense of pride for everything he would accomplish in the future.
October 5, 2025
There's a lot to like in this book! An intricate, layered story, teenagers allowed to be messy, and trying to find out more about a complex family history. While there are parts that move a bit more slowly than others, I think it still worked well for the overall story. The narrators for the audiobook were also fantastic!
November 22, 2025
I finished reading this book because it was recommended to me by a friend. It would have otherwise been added to my DNF shelf. A combination of too much Japanese history and YA genre made this an arduous read for me.
December 12, 2025
I was very skeptical that she would have written to her grandmother in English, but we did eventually get an explanation for that but not an explanation for why certain words were in Japanese instead of English, even when they have an easy translation.
Adam was mid.
Adam was mid.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews