Giving Up the Ghost: A Daughter's Memoir

Winner! Best Memoir! San Francisco Book Festival 2025
Winner! Women's Book Award, Gilda Prize 2025
Finalist! Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, 2025
Finalist! Parenting and Family, Best Book Awards 2025

“Rose’s prose is introspective and lyrical, sprinkled with moments of humor that provide relief amidst the heaviness of loss. "— Publishers Weekly Booklife Review

New York Times bestselling ghostwriter, Samantha Rose, steps out of the shadows to unravel the mystery surrounding her mother’s suicide. What begins as a solitary journey of grief shifts form when her mother slips back from the darkness beyond to reconcile her irreversible choice. Raw, deeply revealing, and with resilient humor throughout, Giving Up the Ghost explores the layered complexity of mental health, the love between mothers and daughters, and how, in the aftermath of inconceivable loss, we can release our inner ghosts and write a new story for ourselves.

Giving Up the Ghost is a memoir about a ghostwriter who “ghosts” a ghost—beyond that interplay, the narrative reveals hidden truths—about her mother’s shocking death and also, it shines a light on how Rose had become a ghost in her own life—hiding, shrinking, no longer speaking for herself. This awakening took center stage as the most significant theme in Rose’s healing process and ultimately, Giving Up the Ghost encourages readers to similarly What does it mean to live in the shadows? Am I hiding? What am I reflecting to the world around me? Is it honest? What is the story I’m telling about my own life? And if I’ve lost my voice, or buried my truth in the shadows, am I ready to give up the ghost?

Editorial Reviews

"With equal measures of humor, humility and chutzpah… Rose’s memoir serves as a siren call to anyone who still thinks it's possible to do it all without help.”—San Francisco Chronicle Review

"An honest portrayal of grief and loss, interlaced with just the right amount of humor.”—Libby Ward, author of Honest Motherhood

"This book is the perfect example of why I read: When the bravery of someone telling their story can reach inside of you and help you know that you’re not alone…there is something almost miraculous in that.”—Steph Hockersmith, Pie Lady Books

"In these confusing and increasingly lonely times for us all, Rose’s memoir is a must read for anyone coping with grief and surviving loss.” —Eve Rodsky, author of the New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick, Fair Play

"A testament to strength and resilience all rolled into poetic writing." —Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D., author of Raising How to Help our Children Thrive in Times of Uncertainty

"A subtle powerhouse of a memoir—tender, weighty, and human. In a voice that’s both earnest and meaningful, she gently invites the reader into her grief—not to solve it, but to sit with it." —Cole Imperi, author of A Guide to Grief

"Incredibly gripping and moving. For anyone who has ever felt alone in their grief, this book will provide you with connection, comfort and eventually hope." —Sheryl Ziegler, PsyD, author of Mommy Burnout and The Crucial Years

"A visceral account of profound grief and loss beautifully exemplified in scenes that will make the reader laugh and sob, sometimes simultaneously.” —Meghan Riordan Jarvis, MA, LCSW, author of End of the Hour: A Therapist’s Memoir

“A beautifully written and piercing reflection on grief, the bonds between mothers and daughters and the importance of finding your own voice. Rose’s journey of resilience inspires us to dig deep for the answers that will set us free and that have the power to ripple outward and offer hope and healing to us all.” —Cathy Heller, podcast host and author of Abundant Ever After

“Heartbreaking, raw, honest, and inspiring…this book serves as a powerful reminder that love never dies and we are never truly alone.” —Rebecca Rosen, author of the national and international bestseller, Connect to the Guides Around You

"Samantha Rose shoulders emotional freight with extraordinary valor, grace, and sure-handed storytelling. This achingly honest account of a complicated grieving process is sure to stir raw emotion and vibrant book club discussions." —Joni Rodgers, New York Times bestselling author and ghostwriter

“I devoured this memoir and found nourishment I didn’t know I needed within its pages—and I trust many other readers will feel the same.”—Courtney Cook, author of The Way She Feels: My Life on the Borderline

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