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

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This review is my opinion**

Bruh... This LGBTQIAP+ book definitely was not what I was expecting. The beginning alone grabbed my attention and I am so thankful I didn't pass this up! I seriously don't want to give any spoilers away, but give this book a chance! Read the summary, and dive right in.

A great re-telling of The Selkie Wife. I am surprised I haven't heard more about this one! I really enjoyed it.

Jean has made a place for herself as a respected midwife. When a woman she doesn't know appears in labor on her land in the middle of the night, Jean does what is needed to deliver the baby, strange as the birth is. Her visitor turns out to be the mysterious new wife of Jean's nearest neighbor, Muirin. Jean and Muirin strike up an easy friendship despite the growing displeasure of Muirin's husband, Tobais. Tobais who seems to prefer is wife kept closed away from the world, or at the very least from Jean. But Jean is determined to try at this friendship, and to try to look after Muirin in what ever way she can.

I've said it before and I'll say it a thousand times more a folklore retelling but make it queer is the easiest way into my heart and Rose Sutherland delivers. It's more than just adjusting the story of the selkie wife to reflect the horror behind the tale of a person taken from their home at the simple desire of a man. Sutherland presents a town and a community that fits directly into the myth and wraps itself around the reader. Jean's life and the lives of those important to her feel tangible and firm with the folklore dressing that comes with it. Sutherland is able to take the kind of story tale that is told at bedsides and expand it into a universe the invites the reader to make a home along side the characters.

Really good book. I loved the description of the sea and I could almost smell the salt on the wind. The love story was subtle but solid. This is one I'd revisit again in years to come.

Beautiful. Lyrical. Queer. Found family.
As started in the afterword, the Selkie story historically inspires empathy for the husband- abandoned by his wife. Yet no one holds him accountable for kidnapping, abuse, holding his wife hostage because of his supposed love. This retelling is a must!
Jean is an amazing woman- strong, passionate, intelligent, compassion and loving.
Muirin srumbles upon Jean in the midst of labor. They form a friendship- to the horror of Muirin's husband. Determined to not leave her in isolation, Jean continues to seek Muirin.

This book is beautiful. I honestly don't have the words.

I couldn't put this book down, and everything I try to write about it feels flat. I absolutely adored this book.

This book was beautiful and such a wonderful take on the selkie wife story. I loved the way the author wove the characters together and how she raised the stakes to the point where you weren’t sure what was going to happen. I will absolutely be recommending this book to others and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

I went into this book not knowing the folktale and I’m so glad I didn’t look it up first. I couldn’t read fast enough needing to know what happened and hoping it had a HEA, especially being sapphic historical fiction. It was the perfect rainy day read, from the character building to all of the fine details and more. Not high on the steam level, but also not nonexistent by any means. The yearning alone covered it. Truly no idea how this is a debut.

The lore and the atmosphere of this book was so incredibly good! It felt as if you could feel the author weaving the story around you as you read. It was so achingly beautiful. I love that the author wove Celtic legends through the story but it didn't feel like a simple re-telling. This was truly a beautiful book and I will absolutely recommend it on my platform.

I'm always wary of new selkie stories. It's such a beautiful concept but there's so much pain and you can't always guess which way an author will go with it.

Sutherland goes real. She dives straight into the gritty emotions, the loneliness and despair. But Jean and Muriel aren't just punching bags for the story. They work hard for their flickers of hope and happiness, and they keep working.
There's a too-convenient twist near the end, but that's not a bad thing. The stakes are personal and just right.
I really enjoyed this book and if you're interested in selkies and spinsters and sapphics (oh my!) I think you'll like it too.

I’m glad I saved this book for December, because this was a delightful read for cold weather. Snow, cozy fires, heaps of warm blankets for snuggling… am I describing real life or the book? Both!

A Sweet Sting of Salt was very readable: hard to put down and easy to zoom through. The characters were easy to fall for and the setting was romantic in a strangely gloomy way. The storytelling was predictable but the beats hit in all the right spots and left me feeling very satisfied.

My only complaint is that the ending is just a massive info dump. I wanted something more fleshed out and worthy of the story’s atmosphere but I was left wishing for much more.

Still, this is a wonderful romance to lose yourself in for a weekend.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I have this in my dnf pile currently. I read a few chapters, and while intrigued by the storyline, the writing style hasn’t resonated with me. I’ll try again in a month or look for the audio to see if that format is a bette option for me with this book.

Set in the 1830s in a fictional village in Nova Scotia, this debut novel is a queer reimagining of the Scottish folk tale, The Selkie Wife. Jean Langille, Barquer Bay’s midwife, is something of a recluse, living on the remote outskirts of the main village. She has felt shunned by the villagers because of the vitriol spewed by the mother of her lifelong best friend—and at 19, her lover—who marries her daughter off to a man quickly and blames Jean for having corrupted her. But Jean believes she had at least won the villagers’ respect for her midwifery skills over the five years since.

One stormy night she hears what she thinks is an animal in distress near the salt marshes on her property, and when she investigates, she finds a woman who speaks a foreign language she takes for Gaelic in labor. Jean helps her back up to her house and delivers a healthy baby boy. Muirin is the fairly recent bride of Jean’s neighbor, Tobias, who Jean goes to visit in the morning to tell him he has a son and Muirin is safe and so he can bring Muirin and his son home. But when they return to Jean’s house it is clear Muirin does not really want to go and Jean invents a reason why she should stay longer. Tobias, Jean learns over the next few months, is violently possessive of his wife and determined to keep her new and only friend Jean, who has been teaching Muirin English, away from her.

That situation sets all the suspenseful action into motion. The story is full of interesting characters: Jean herself: headstrong, fearless, sometimes reckless, but fiercely protective of those she loves The half-Indigenous Anneke, her midwife mentor and a mother figure for Jean, who lost her own mother too young. Anneke’s son Laurie, a gay sailor who is Jean’s only other friend. Laurie’s lover, Dal. Muirin and her family, who Jean meets toward the end of the novel. The story held my interest from beginning to end, the tension throughout is palpable, and the writing is solid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rose Sutherland for the opportunity to read an ARC of A Sweet Sting of Salt, in exchange for a fair and honest review.