Lynx is known as a grief nurse, someone who alleviates your sorrow. I liked the idea of this book. I have recently lost both an aunt and an uncle, so I can completely understand not wanting to sit with your grief. I appreciated the unique plot and the vivid descriptions of the setting of an isolated Scottish island. I loved Lynx, she was a very complex character. You’d think it would be positive to remove your sorrow, but it was kind of disturbing to me…in a good way.

Grief is a character in and of itself. It’s dark and relentless, taking over your thought process, emotions and behaviour. It’s unpredictable and persistent. Where the book lost me is in the pacing. It was very slow going at times, and the plot seemed to drift. While I am a reader who appreciates the descriptions, the world-building felt like something was missing. I also found some of the lesser characters lacked development, and I didn’t feel invested in their stories. Grief is a very personal thing, so I wish the author had handled this a little differently.

Overall, this was a unique debut with a great premise and beautiful writing. It just fell a bit short because of the slow pace, underdeveloped characters and other missing elements. It's pretty good for a debut, and I would read this author again.

Thank you to netgalley and independent publishers group for the opportunity to read this arc.

This was kind of similar to Blood On Her Tongue but it wasn't executed nearly as well. Interesting premise though!

Rating: 4⭐️/5

Very unique with different magic where Lynx is a “grief nurse” and is a servant to the Aster family to take grief from them so they remain happy. This was very thought provoking about the necessity of grief and how letting grief fester can lead to detriments later on.

At times I was a bit confused with the memory flashbacks in the beginning until I knew what was going on, but otherwise I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gothic/historical fantasy book playing with the premise that rich people never have to feel grief thanks to the service of a rare few "nurses" that can take away the cumbersome feeling.
I was very much looking forward to plunging into that book but sadly, this wasn't for me. The tone and vibe was very disturbing in its sensuality for grief. The characters weren't particularly engaging, and all other feelings were dulled or expressed in strange aloof ways. I didn't feel like finishing the book and I have too little time to spend it on things I'm not enjoying. This will probably fit others way better. This novel reminded me a lot of the gothic and disturbing feel of "Blood on Her Tongue", though not as literary, but I can imagine people who liked the latter will enjoy this one too.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The writing is really eerie which I liked, and very atmospheric.  There's a tinge of sinister in every character, especially with the Aster family.  There was also pride representation so that's always a plus for me.

I would say though, the world building and the political and cultural situation were a little bit vague and I wished that they were explained more.  While I like the premise of the story, with the process of removing the grief very interesting in theory,  I really had to exercise my imagination here.  Lots of fantastic elements involved but they're very bizarre and I had a difficult time picturing it.  Nevertheless, I was fascinated and entertained.

dnf @ 33%. this was an interesting premise, with the concept of grief nurses being able to extract negative emotions from people. it was a bit different from what i expected, having an almost gothic and dystopian atmosphere, but sadly this is where it ends with the things i enjoyed about this book. the writing was lackluster, making the characters feel flat and almost pretentious, which made it difficult for me to connect with them and the emotional impact of certain events that happened in the story. the author does a lot of telling rather than showing, so while the story tries to achieve a profound impact on the reader, it never quite feels anything more than a surface level depth. what really made me decide to drop this was how disturbingly sensual the grief-taking process was. it’s understandable that it’s an intimate procedure, but the author’s deliberate use of sensual language when describing lynx extricating grief or even just sensing it from other characters was just incredibly uncomfortable to read. for these reasons, i will not be continuing with the book.

1.25 stars. thank you to netgalley and independent publishers group for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lush, haunting, and emotionally charged, Grief Nurse pulls readers into a richly imagined 1920s Scotland where sorrow is both currency and curse. With its gothic atmosphere, simmering intrigue, and a heroine burdened by the weight of others’ pain, this debut offers a mesmerizing blend of mystery and melancholy. A darkly beautiful exploration of power, vulnerability, and the cost of feeling too much.

Netgalley Advance Reader Copy (ARC) Kindle Read

I loved this story. It was a wonderfully constructed concept, written beautifully and the character growth and acceptance is so deeply touching. I also loved the murder mystery spin on things, even if it was just a background element. The descriptions of the world and characters gave you just enough so you knew what was going on, but not overly flowery. At times the writing could be a little confusing especially during the times when Lynx would dive into memories (either hers or someone else's), not sure if they will add breaks in between these scenes before publishing. I will say this did give the story a bit of a Lovecraftian feel as it always kept it jarring and you weren't sure what was real and what was memories and when the two faded together.

As far as the characters go, I found Lynx interesting, but not really engaging. I enjoyed watching her journey and the end result but it felt like she was a very passive character, which is somewhat understandable given her situation. Her character ending was beautiful and touching. I wish the ages on all the siblings were more distinct at the beginning, i went into this story thinking Andromeda was a child for a good chunk of the beginning which was very awkward and gave me the "ick." (It was cleared up later that they are both in their 20s.) But this may have been because of the writing style with the memories and what not.

The main thing I found interesting about this book was the amount of layers to it that you could have during a Book Club discussion. Especially topics surround grief, loss, self hate and acceptance, and detachment from emotions in general. This was just such a beautiful read and I will be looking for other books by this author.

Overall this was a really easy short read. I would probably recommend this people who like paranormal reads, with a layer of thought provoking questions. I would also recommend this to people looking to get interesting discussions during their book club, or if youre just looking for a pallet cleanser between your normal reads. This was a rather quick, but enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARCH of this book!

A beautifully written novel with a unique gothic atmosphere throughout. Overwhelming themes of grief and isolation that were just not for me right now.

I was initially drawn to read this book because the premise and description sounded very original and interesting. Unfortunately, I just couldn't vibe with the writing style or the YA feel of the FMC.  This is just my opinion, and I'm sure many would love this style of storytelling.
I appreciate the opportunity to read the book, but it just wasn't for me.  DNF'd at 20%

Thank you to Net Galley and Black & White Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Had to DNF around 13%. The premise sounded really interesting based on the description but the FMC seemed to have a grief fetish, like… she got sexual pleasure from taking people’s grief. That made me super uncomfortable and I couldn’t read anymore.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eArc.

The Grief Nurse by Angie Spoto presents an intriguing premise: what if grief could be externalized and managed like an illness? It raises thoughtful questions about emotional detachment and the cost of numbing pain—reminding me a bit of the Severance TV series. Unfortunately, while the concept had potential, the execution fell flat.

The world-building feels messy and underdeveloped. Important events are treated with dramatic weight, but without the necessary context or depth to make them feel meaningful. I frequently found myself asking basic questions (like, what even is a Fader?) with no satisfying answers. The writing style didn’t help—dense and overly fixated on sensory descriptions, it felt like wading through molasses. A little atmosphere goes a long way, but this was full-on sensory overload that ended up having the opposite effect on me.

Characters are both unlikable and boring, which made it hard to stay invested. There was nothing grounding me to their stories or making me want to keep reading. In the end, while the book tries to explore something profound, it never quite gets past surface-level reflections.

I appreciate the ambition behind this book, but it just didn’t work for me.

At first the book hooked me as your introduced to the characters once the world building explored how the grief nurse took over the emotions of the family members I felt like the story took a turn which confused me. The story needed a bit more depth in my eyes as there was some parts where I felt the storyline went into a complete different direction

I loved this book it had everything I wanted and more. I loved the setting, I loved the representation, it kept me guessing and the story line was better than I thought it would be. Possibly one on the best books I have read this year

Lynx, a grief nurse, works for the wealthy Aster family on Mount Sorscha. A grief nurse's role is to remove any grief, so that the family members can appear "Bright". When the eldest Aster son, Sculptor, passes away, the family hosts a wake on their private island. Lynx is a prized show pony, she must be dressed fancily, and shown as available to the best guests and family members to have their grief taken away. However, once the wake starts, things start to happen as people begin to die. Besides the death toll racking up, Sculptor's fiance shows up with her own grief nurse, causing quite the stir at the wake. Is someone out to get the family or is there something else going on?

The concept is interesting. The plot ending is predictable. Lynx was written very well, though - we got a great insight of how a grief nurse is, how they can struggle with how much is too much. Great queer representation in this book. I think what was lacking for me is that the plot seemed sort of cliche and there wasn't enough depth to some of the characters' thoughts - they seemed younger than they were. I wish this plot had more development in regards to other types of people in the story such as a Fader - we didn't know why they were so hated besides that they could give birth to grief nurses. It would have been interesting to learn more. I also think this book had way too many genres trying to occur - it should have been just focusing on the fantasy portion of the book.

This was such a unique and atmospheric read. The premise was marvelous, and the world created is dark, unnerving, and rich with detail. I really appreciated how the story explored themes like power, memory, and trauma—it definitely gave me a lot to think about.That said, I did find parts of the book a bit slow, and while the emotional depth was there, it didn’t hit me as hard as I hoped it would. I also felt like the characters could’ve used a little more development to really bring the story to life but I really loved the atmosphere. I’m definitely curious to see what Angie Spoto writes next.

Thank you to Independent Publishers Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

So, rich people are weird.

This the world of this book the wealthy can afford to ‘own’ a grief nurse, a person with the power to take their sadness, grief, sorrow, dread, etc. That was they never feel it and are always what is described as ‘Bright’ in the story.

Lynx is the grief nurse of the Aster family. She’s grown up with the youngest child, and isolated on the family’s island.

When the oldest son, who’d left the island, dies suddenly the family is thrown into chaos as their grief and ability to cope spiral out of control. Turns out part of that is due to external forces, which we learn as secrets are uncovered.

For me it was an interesting story, but not enough character growth to really be a win for me.

*The Grief Nurse* is a haunting, lyrical debut with a fresh and fascinating premise. Angie Spoto weaves grief, power, and identity into a dark, atmospheric tale that lingers long after the final page. The worldbuilding is rich and strange, and while the pacing occasionally slows, the emotional core stays strong throughout.

Thank you to Independent Publishers Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

The idea behind this was so good, but the execution was somewhat lacking, especially with regards to the characters. Every single one of them felt so flat and underdeveloped.

3.5 stars
This was a bit different from what I had imagined how it would be based on the blurb and the tags. It is a very character driven story where our protagonist, Lynx is able to use magic to experience other peoples memories or memories of her own which she rather forget. I really enjoyed how the author used this unique magic system to explore and understand characters better. The downside is that it felt a bit tedious at times and the story did not have that much of an emotional impact on me. Still it's a solid story and I would be interested in what the author does next.

I was able to read the ARC from Netgalley.