The imagery in this book is absolutely gorgeous - stained glass, bright colors framed by the starkness of the landscape, the white of the grief nurses in contrast to it all. It felt austere yet richly decorated in a way I can't quite articulate. I loved the queer-normative element of this book and found the mystery really engaging, even if I was confused at some parts. I agree with some of the other reviews on here that the plot / setting gets a little difficult to keep straight at moments, but honestly I didn't really mind. The magic system is fascinating, and I really wish we got more information about the relationship between grief nurses and Faders. I'm not usually one for fantasy, but something about this book really spoke to me. The aesthetics alone had me captivated from the start, but the locked-room mystery element kept me engaged. Really enjoyed this one!

The premise of this book is incredible and I really do love the ending. As someone who has experienced a lot of grief in her life, I was immediately drawn to the title and the cover. The magic system was really unique and the concept was so dystopian + intriguing. Unfortunately, it didn't land for me personally the way I'd hoped. I didn't quite get to a point of feeling connected to the characters like I feel I should have been and I did get confused along the way as to what was actually happening in the storyline. That being said, Angie's writing style is what I'd call very lyrical + poetic and perhaps that's just not a style of writing that lands for me. All in all, I found myself not wanting to put it down as I wanted to see what would happen next but I don't think I'd pick it up for a re-read.

The Grief Nurse has an interesting concept but don't go further into it and show us everything it could be. When reading the synopsis and the first few chapters I was engaged and wanted to keep reading to discover more about the world-building and the magic system, but as the story kept reading I had the impression that Spoto never showed more than simple things, it was more plain than I would have liked. For example, we don't hear much about grief nurses' history or more about what happens outside of the island.
I give it 3 stars because I see potential in this story, like Spoto's writing style and the story she wanted to tell us. I enjoyed how being in a homosexual relationship is just as common as being in a heterosexual one, the atmosphere of the island, and how we end up seeing each character's sensitivities.

This was fantastic! I really enjoyed, aside from one plot element that I'll get to a little later. Thank you so much to NetGalley for the copy!

The novel is well-crafted. The prose is good, rich without being overwritten. The characters were all intriguing and felt appropriately explored. The plot was perfectly paced; nothing ever felt boring or dragged out. The novel really shines thematically; Spoto does a great job of exploring the impacts that the grief nurses and the laws around them would have on a bunch of British aristocrats. The way that murders kept on happening but no one seemed to care because everyone was too focused on getting rid of grief? It resonated beautifully with Lynx's personal revelation of grief being a form of love.

The only real negative of the novel was its ending. I'm not thrilled with the reveal of the person behind all the deaths being a grief nurse who wants to take revenge on the family that abandoned her and her mother. It smacks of "oh, well, this revolutionary has good ideas, but took it too far :(((". I think this is mediated by what Lynx ends up doing, but I find it difficult to be against Karina, especially when most of the Asters are horrible people. That being said, why did Karina take out Andromeda before Crater or Cassiopeia (yeah, those names are a little on that nose)??? Come on queen???

Despite that, great read, and I've already added Spoto's next book to my want to read.

I was really intrigued by the concept here but somehow found the actual story unsatisfying. I think there needed to be more world-building - I wasn't really sure what the author was intending as far as everyone's role (particularly the eponymous grief nurse) and why things were happening as they were. ilIt made it difficult to connect with the characters and stay with the story long-term...

The Grief Nurse explores a sort of art deco alternate world, where the wealthy strive to be unburdened by grief, sorrow, and dread. Our protagonist Lynx is herself a grief nurse, someone born with the ability to siphon away others' grief. She is employed by the Asters, a formerly wealthy family now on the brink of ruin. Set over the course of one long party and winter storm, Lynx races to untangle the familial and emotional power plays that start to threaten the Aster household.

This book had so much potential for me, but left me wanting more. I enjoyed reading it, but was frustrated by the distance in the writing and plot. It almost felt at times as if I was learning this story through an intermediary, like the author told it to someone else who then told it to me. There were moments of vitality, but so much of the world and characters felt incomplete. I wanted more about Faders, more about Andromeda, and the ending was a let down. Uneven, but intriguing.

The concept was what interested me to read this book, and I was not let down at all! The characters were great, the entire plot was orignal. 4 stars.

This was gothic and convoluted and maybe I just wasn't smart enough to understand all the twists and turns, but I always felt as if I was missing something as I read. Which may have been the point, but it wasn't something I really enjoyed. Well-written, great concept, just not quite to my taste.

First off, I want to thank Netgalley and publishers for allowing me access to this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lynx, a grief nurse in service to a rich family to take their sorrow, their grief and any negative emotion in order to keep them Bright, happy to do people.

I liked the concept but I couldn't connect with the execution of it. I couldn't tell you if there was a plot or what exactly was going on.
I didn't really appreciate being dropped into this world without a clue as to who, what, where, why.
Everyone was weird to me and the names even weirder.
I think I gave this a fair chance, but unfortunately it didn't hook me as much as I wanted it to.
Sadly, not for me.

I think this book would be best described as a gothic mystery rather than fantasy. I felt that while the idea of the grief nurse was compelling the execution wasn't quite there for me. I do think that if it was marketed as a gothic mystery it may be better received by those who enjoy that genre.

I requested this book before i knew how to work netgalley so here is my obligatory review. While it isn't for me I'm very sure that this book has a target audience that would LOVE it. It is well written and hauntingly beautiful.

Grief is heartbreaking and tragic.
A very gothic feel, not my usual vibe but it wasn't bad

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Huge thanks to NetGalley for providing this arc!

I was so intrigued by this when I saw the cover, and then I kind of fell in love with it when I read the description. The idea of someone being able to take grief away- especially in such a gothic and fantastical setting had me so hooked!! Unfortunately, this was just not as much of a hit as I thought it would be... it was missing a lot of those key elements that I always enjoy and look for in similar books.
I mostly struggled with the lack of world building in this- I know the bones of the setting and the idea of taking grief away, but there was no meat to fatten it up. The characters names were also so darn hard to follow and keep up with, it felt like there were just too many people always coming in and out of the storyline and I just could not keep up with it at a certain point.
For me, this is just really missing that rich storytelling you expect when reading a gothic story. Although I will say, it was a fast paced read that kept you interested the entire time (even though I might not have always understood what was going on).

This Fantasy has a really interesting set-up with the concept of the 'grief nurse', but I felt like the execution was lacking a little. There were interesting reflections on grief throughout the book, but the plot itself was less engaging. This also read a little as YA to me, and I simply don't enjoy YA and its tropes. On the whole not a bad book, though, and might work better for other readers.

This is a stunning book. Truly. I couldn't tear myself away from it. It explores the complexities of Grief and it's necessity in being human so very well. The way Spoto writes almost brings Grief to life as a character itself. A living, breathing entity that society fears so much. The descriptions are so rich and thoughtful and you truly end up immersed in Lynx's world. The character growth from all the family members (or complete refusal to grow in some cases) the deeper your understanding of their society and Lynx's place within it the further you read is just magical.

Would you prefer to be Bright but sacrifice the true scope of emotions? I'm not sure. I think I would rather be a "poor" and live without a Nurse. The interesting nuggets of classism at work and how the Nurses are viewed as objects to serve people rather than people in their own right really worked for me too.

I have read a few books lately centering around "negative" emotion in varying ways. But standouts amongst them are certainly this book, The Collector - Laura Kat Young and HappyHead/DeadHappy - Josh Silver.

This is the first of Angie Spoto's works I have read, and it truly will not be my last. Especially finding the wee nuggets of reference to Scotland peppered in tiny things, like potato scones of all things.

The story’s raw portrayal of the pain associated with losing a loved one, combined with the protagonist’s personal journey toward healing, makes it a moving and introspective read.

This is a very slow paced read involving a gothic mansion and grief. The writing is very lyrical which makes me want to read more from this author. I enjoyed the magical realism

Read if: you're looking for a character oriented literary fiction type fantasy, or you like gothic mansions on an island with a splash of murder mystery.

I really enjoyed this book. While the pace was definitely on the slower side, I found it really easy and interesting to read. The premise of this book is so fascinating and while this book didn't answer everything I would have liked to know about this world, I think it answered enough to allow me to immerse myself in this book.

I was also pleasantly suprised that the romance in this book is sapphic and that there are queer side characters. I was worried when Ms Aster didn't approve of her son's marriage to a man but, not to worry, she's just classist and wanted him to marry a rich man. This family is truly chaotic and full of some not very nice people, but they are interesting to read about.

I thought the exploration of grief in this book was really well done, and the physical manifestations of everyone's grief being different was a really enjoyable aspect of this book that helped me to connect to the characters and learn more about them without having to slow down the book with character/personality descriptions. Angie Spoto managed to give you an insight into almost every character through such a simple, but very effective, plot device. I really enjoyed thinking about what these manifestations of the characters grief meant about them.

This book was a fantastic and intimate exploration of grief and loss, and I will definitely be picking up Angie Spoto's other book soon as well as keeping an eye out for future works.

Thank you to Netgalley and Independent Publishers Group for the digital ARC. Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon, rating posted on Storygraph

Thank you for allowing me to read this story in advance! It is a moving tale about grief and all of its forms and how, in the end, it is part of what makes us all human. I enjoyed reading this very much and would have liked to see more of the interesting world it brought to life.

Who knew grief could be so… sensual.

Being an emotional support human is one thing, but being literally hired to soak up rich people’s trauma like a sentient therapy sponge? That’s Lynx’s whole deal. As the official Grief Nurse for a wealthy, powerful family, her job is to absorb their bad vibes so they can continue being their fabulous, terrible selves. But when a mysterious guest shows up at their estate, the skeletons (both literal and metaphorical) start rattling in the closets.

This book is gothic horror with a side of “why is everyone in this house so unhinged?” Think Succession meets Crimson Peak, but with a main character who’s one bad day away from rage-quitting. It’s eerie, it’s weird, and it’ll have you questioning whether repressing emotions is actually the move. (Spoiler: it’s not.)