4.5 stars...Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed it, especially going into it not knowing the folklore of the Selkies. The storytelling was beautiful. It's characters were beautifully developed and the plot was easy to get into. It's a somewhat historical romancy/ folklore/mystery/LGBTQA+ novel. I want to say there's some trigger warning-esque moments but nothing too bad. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes folklore retellings.

4.5/5 ⭐️

A beautiful story of folklore, growth and sapphic yearning. Jean lives a quiet life living alone on the outskirts of the seaside fishing village. She goes to town only to visit her expectant mothers, as she is the towns midwife and well respected as such. But as for her personal life, Jean is happy to stay out of the limelight and out of the town rumor mill - hoping to fade to the background along with her history.

But it all changes one wind tossed and storming night when she hears a scream from outside her home. Jean doesn’t know it but she is about to be swept up into most beautiful, intense and life changing 4 months of her life.


This story is so poetic and pulling. The description of the scenery and location is absolutely stunning, even with the awful weather- you feel like you are right there in the thick of it with Jean. That accompanied by Jane’s character development throughout the story makes this an amazing and surprising read.


Read if you like:
- gothic intrigue
- passion/love (non spicy)
- romance with a twist
- folklore/magical realism


Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC of #ASweetStingOfSalt

I love all the magical elements and character development. I got sucked right in and finished this within 48 hours. Will recommend

This book is...magical. I was super excited when I first saw it coming out because I've been obsessed with selkies since I was a kid. It's definitely slowburn, but it twists the myth of selkies so beautifully and in a wonderfully sapphic way. It was a bit slow, but the pace worked for the story! I'm so happy I was granted an ARC for one of my most anticipated reads of 2024!!

I’m so grateful to have received an ARC of one of my most anticipated releases of 2024! I absolutely adored this book. I would consider this book to be a sapphic slow burn romance with a touch of fantasy. I would LOVE a second book (maybe a cozy romance) of the characters lives after this book.
So appreciative of Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel early. I’m so excited for the official release (April 2024) so I can add the physical book to my shelf!
(Review has already been posted to GoodReads)

This book is an amazing. The atmosphere is incredible. The story is surprising with so many twists. The characters were well drawn and I could just read it over and over and get sucked back into the world and the mythology. I can't wait to see what Sutherland does next.

Thank you NetGalley, Rose Sutherland, and Dell for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This book was a good read, despite a bit slow at times, and I wasn’t familiar with the original story, but I don’t think that impacted anything. Fans of historical fiction would enjoy this one. The cover is also gorgeous! The original reason why I picked it up, but I wasn’t disappointed.

an is the only midwife in town, so when she wakes in the middle of the night to the cries of labor she is surprised and shocked to discover a woman she doesn’t know, and one who’s barely able to speak English.

Tobias comes looking for his wife, Muirin. Jean has many questions but learned long ago to stay out of other people’s business. As Jean gets to know Muirin, her feelings for her grow. When Jean starts to think Muirin is in danger, she wonders if she can save her and the baby before it is too late?

I went into this book thinking it would be something different, but then I ended up loving how it worked out! I’ve read just a handful of books on selkie’s and the folklore associated with them so was really excited when I realized that’s what this one was about. I was even more excited that this was a sapphic love story.

This book had so much angst and I loved it. The love between Muirin and Jean was wonderful, it was so heartfelt and tender. I loved it. Jean was an amazing character. She was so strong and fought for what she wanted in life even when it was hard. This book wasn’t spicy, but it was full of love and had heat. I did find this one to be on the slow side and I do wish that the pacing was a little faster. The author’s note on this one was fantastic. I always enjoy reading the author’s notes because to me they add extra layers to the story and make it that much better, and that was the case here.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Dell and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this new magical sapphic read! The atmosphere was perfect and the tension built throughout the story. Loved the folktale elements too!

I really enjoyed this queer retelling of the selkie wife. The first 50% or so of the book was a bit slow for my preferences, but once things got exciting, they stayed that way. I appreciate the attention to the dynamics both together and separately throughout the story of different characters being queer, woman, and/or people of color. The lore of the story was well balanced with some of the less savory history of coastal towns in the early 1800s.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have a love/hate relationship with sapphic historical fiction. The idea is always lovely, but usually the central characters end up facing TOO MUCH and don't even end up together. BLESS ROSIE SUTHERLAND FOR NOT DOING THIS! Yes, our central characters face a LOT, but thankfully, there is a beautiful happily ever after in the end that makes it all worth it.

I loved the sweet slow burn between Muirin and Jean. The chemistry was SO GOOD and I was cheering them on the entire way! There was also some incredible side characters (looking at you, Anneke and Laurie) that I grew to love almost as much as Muirin and Jean themselves.

Not only were the characters and their relationships fantastic, the writing was lovely too! I was able to very clearly visualize the setting, and the little historical tidbits helped me do this wonderfully. I hope Rosie Sutherland continues her writing career because this debut novel was wonderful and I would 100% read more from her.

Publication date: April 9, 2024

This debut novel is an intense piece of art! A sapphic and gothic read that will keep you turning the pages faster and faster. The imagry will stick with you long past finishing this book.

Thank you @randomhouse for the eARC

The absolute disrespect of Rose Sutherland to keep me up until two in the morning. I'm too old to reading books this good.

I love love loved it. A Sweet Sting of Salt is beautifully written. I just adored it and can't wait to purchase a physical copy for my shelf when it comes out. If you like a bit of folklore with endearing characters and a feminist twist, pleasssse give this one a go.

• Canadian seaside
• selkies
• sapphic love

I'm going to trick the author into coming over for tea and have her sign my book. Then I'll ask her to sign a bunch of books she didn't write, just because. When she's all buttered up with flattery, I'll ask her to write more books and try to weasel the details out of her.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were interesting and the plot held my attention the entire time. This is a retelling and I was not very familiar with the original story, but I was still able to read and understand the story (and it prompted me to research the legend the book was based on).

I thought this book was very elegantly written and was captivating to read. I would highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the legend of "The Selkie Wife" before reading this book, no spoilers, but otherwise you will find yourself at quite a confusing supernatural plot twist.

When midwife Jean found her isolated neighbor's new wife frantic and alone...and about to give birth out in her swamplands she took in the mysterious woman and discovers that the mystery might be deeper than how she found herself there that night. This is a passionate, sapphic, forbidden romance that will show you just how much Jean is willing to sacrifice to save her mysterious new friend and love.

Thank you to Rose Sutherland and Random House Publishing Group for sending me this advanced copy.

This was an interesting entry into my reading pile. Falling into the "retelling of classic fables and fairy tales" category that I have read a few of lately, it was a good read. I was a little familiar with the tale it's based on, but it wasn't one that I vividly remembered. However, very early in the book I saw the foreshadowing and recognized it.

It isn't normally my go-to type of story, but it was entertaining and the pacing was good. At times the "clues" and foreshadowing seemed a little obvious, but it may just be because I already knew what story it was based around. The characters were good and I enjoyed the exploration and inclusion of many different characters of varying ethnicities and sexualities and the struggles they would encounter in that era.

I would recommend it for anyone who is a fan of this type of literature, especially this sub genre of queer reframing/retelling.

Selkie wife is utterly gorgeous and this one is no less than the tale it’s based on and adds a lot. Read it if you’ve read the tale. Or if you haven’t. thanks for the arc

Thanks to the author, netgalley and the publisher for the early readers copy of A Sweet Sting of Salt. I definitely enjoyed it. Very atmospheric.

There was so much to this book, and I really tried to get into it, but it read as if I was on the out of an inside joke. I was left confused and disappointed by the end.

4.5 Stars rounded down to 4

I think I have been genuinely blown away by this book. It certainly had the trappings to entice me – a selkie/mermaid story, sapphic, and a darker, sort of melancholy atmosphere are all things that I love. Even still, I’m glad I went in with no expectations and only knowing the tale the story is based around. Feel free to skip to the very end for a very brief TLDR (too long, didn't read) if you find yourself interested in this book. I will break down reasons this may or may not be for you.

Jean is a midwife in the mid-1800’s residing in Nova Scotia, isolating herself from her village after a scandal and the loss of her father. Awoken late one night to cries outside of her home, she finds a pregnant Muirin, the recent wife of her closest neighbor, Tobias. After delivering her baby successfully, despite a massive language barrier, Jean begins to suspect something is afoot with Muirin’s husband. The two grow close in spite of warnings – both from Tobias and people close to Jean.

Everything from the writing to the characters to the setting of the novel pull you in from the start. I’m honestly very surprised to see this is Sutherland’s first novel, because you would never be able to tell from simply picking it up. The prose is beautiful and flows wonderfully, the story is mostly tight, the dialogue smooth and distinct; I would love to see what she writes in the future if this is her starting point. Sutherland is also very good at leaving breadcrumb trails for the reader to follow, even outside of you knowing the story is based on a folktale.

I think something I especially appreciated was that the past and present felt very much connected. Not only through past tragedies and events that are still affecting the characters within the story, but also through their relationships. I think the past love and loss Jean and Jo had really, truly enhanced the love story that was unfolding within the novel. We could see Jean’s hurt, her distrust of people, her guilt, the restrictions of her time, all sort of replay through her relationship with Muirin, but in a very authentic way. I think this could have been a slippery slope of comparison and doubt for the audience, but it ultimately paid off in making the romance between the two feel more real and complex. Muirin as a love interest really stands on her own as well and she still has so much agency in her story even as she’s relegated to a more passive role due to her circumstances.

There’s very little I would change and they’re mostly minor complaints. I think there’s a part around the 45% mark where the book begins to drag. This story is most definitely a slower story, especially seeing as its historical fiction, but there seems to be such little action at this point that it began to bore me a bit. Another thing that bothered me was towards the beginning when Muirin is staying with Jean following her birth; we were suddenly told that they spent five days together. This came as a surprise to me seeing as we had no scenes prior to this time jump. I think the book would benefit from a scene being inserted of their earliest moments together (outside of the birthing scene).

Beyond this, I adored the love story, the town, and the representation of the Mi'kmaq Nation. You can see the love that was poured into this story by the author.

This book is for you if you:

• Enjoy a pining romance
• Are looking for an LGBT main character
• Like stories based off folktales

This book is not for you if you:

• Dislike a slower paced book