This Is Not a Ghost Story

Nothing is as it seems in this chilling, twisting tale by bestselling author Andrea Portes, perfect for fans of Madeleine Roux and Danielle Vega.

Rife with dark humor and chilling twists, This Is Not a Ghost Story is American Horror Story meets There’s Someone Inside Your House. It will have readers flipping back to the very first page after the shocking finale.

I am not welcome. Somehow I know that. Something doesn’t want me here.

Daffodil Franklin has plans for a quiet summer before her freshman year at college, and luckily, she’s found the job that can give her just that: housesitting a mansion for a wealthy couple.

But as the summer progresses and shadows lengthen, Daffodil comes to realize the house is more than it appears. The spacious home seems to close in on her, and as she takes the long road into town, she feels eyes on her the entire way, and something tugging her back.

What Daffodil doesn’t yet realize is that her job comes with a steep price. The house has a long-ago grudge it needs to settle . . . and Daffodil is the key to settling it.

• Haunted House Story: The sprawling mansion was supposed to be a quiet summer job. But Daffodil soon realizes she’s not just a housesitter—she’s a pawn in a grudge older than she is.
• Unreliable Narrator: Daffodil thinks she knows what’s real, but the house plays tricks with her mind. As shadows lengthen and whispers echo in empty halls, she starts to question everything, including her own sanity.
• Gothic Horror Atmosphere: With a creeping sense of dread and an oppressive setting that feels alive, this chilling tale is perfect for readers who love atmospheric horror that gets under their skin.
• Snarky Dark Humor: Daffodil faces the creeping terror with a sharp, sarcastic wit that cuts through the dread. This isn’t just a ghost story; it’s a darkly funny descent into madness.

Praise for ANATOMY OF A MISFIT: “It’s rare that a book can be as funny and absolutely delightful as it is moving and thought provoking, and Anatomy of a Misfit is both.” - Lauren Oliver author of Before I Fall

"A self-deprecating and highly memorable heroine whose bawdy, laceratingly funny narration makes her instantly endearing while also revealing her flaws, uncertainties, and ethical quandaries." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A romance filled with seriously funny dark humor and tragedy.” - Kirkus Reviews

"Anika’s droll voice shines, and her emotions are palpable. After a heartbreaking tragedy, Anika’s ending . . . will leave readers cheering." - School Library Journal

"Fifteen-year-old Anika Dragomir throws her arms around us and draws us in from the very beginning… Droll, intimate, often laugh-out-loud funny narration carries the reader through more than 300 pages... Anika’s winning voice may just be the star of Portes’s first young adult novel." - New York Times Book Review

"Anika Dragomir is the funniest, snarkiest, most insightful misfit a reader could ever hope to meet. I laughed my way through Anatomy of a Misfit right up until the very end, when the book broke my heart into a million pieces. This is a beautiful, brave and powerful novel." - Melissa Kantor author of Maybe One Day and The Breakup Bible

PRAISE FOR ANDREA PORTES:  < “Portes writes with such cool grace we almost forget to be astonished by her narrative’s complexity.”

"Portes’s short chapters and staccato narration make for a quick and compulsive read." - Publishers Weekly

"Andrea Portes writes with the tip of a knife, shape-shifting between characters and laying bare their darkest secrets." - Dylan Landis Normal People Don't Live Like This

“[Portes] tempers gruesome scenes with Daffodil’s likable and chatty personality, and creates a memorable novel reminiscent of John Bellairs stories.” - Publishers Weekly

“The chills here are on par with The Shining. Readers [will] know to be very, very afraid.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“For all that the title claims, something spooky is happening in this house. This is a horror book that pokes fun at itself and the genre, managing to be both spooky and funny…[with] an interesting twist at the end.” - School Library Journal