The concept of The Leaving Room being this place where someone can pause for a moment if they need before they move on is a powerful one. I thought this was beautifully written in a verse format that suited the story. If you are not a fan of novels in verse, this one may not be for you. It does incorporate more of a poetic style than some verse writing does. I do wish there was more to this though. This is just a little snippet of a much larger idea, and if you’re accepting of that then it was well done. I however always want more background information than not, and that was not the way this book was presented. Touching on the impact of connection, I appreciated how things wrapped up at the end. Overall it is a quick and worthwhile read if you’re looking for a powerful yet fantastical story.

Amber McBride does not disappoint in her latest novel in verse, The Leaving Room. The storytelling is so beautiful and emotional. Once I started this book I could not stop until I finished it.

This book is utterly gorgeous! I didn't quite understand what was happening until the last bit, but once I finished, I immediately wanted to pick it up and read it again. Amber McBridge has crafted something unique and inspiring. I think this will be great for reluctant readers!

Amber does it again! The Leaving room is a beautifully written poetry book on the possibility of the afterlife. Gospel is the keeper of the room. She listens to all the children’s stories and keeps their memories. She makes them their last meals and puts them to bed. I just think it’s so beautiful the idea of having someone guide you in the afterlife.

I was a bit confused with the style of the book. However, I was able to understand the story. First book my Amber McBride and definitely not the last. For sure something to read and have your English teacher/professor help you further understand.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

This is a book written in verse. It is evocative and emotional. I love how the author showed the space between life and death and believe that her writing is beautiful. At first I had a bit of a hard time following along with what was going on. However when I got into it I enjoyed it and think many other readers will also like it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review. What a beautiful book. The descriptions of the place, the story telling, the depth of characters.. this was truly a beautiful and engaging book that I ended with tears. I love this interpretation of the experience we all wonder about. The connections between all characters and all the emotion created such a vulnerable space. I applaud the heart you put in this book Amber McBride!

Amber McBride has a great way of telling a story in a way without giving too much away, but making you keep reading to find out. I had no idea what was happening, but I was loving it and kept reading. I highly recommend this book for people who love poetry and exploring multiple emotions.

Absolutely gorgeous and atmospheric. The arrangement of the story was marvelous and I loved that despite the obvious breadcrumbs, I did still get surprised by part of the ending. Would recommend this to any of my teens who like in-verse stories or are looking for moving, introspective reads.

A gorgeous novel-in-verse about death, love, and grief. Honestly? I don’t think a summary would do this one justice. Just go in blind and let it wash over you.

Amber McBride has created something soft and devastating, magical and grounded. It’s the kind of story that makes you pause, breathe deeper, and feel.

Told through the perspectives of Gospel and Melodee, The Leaving Room takes place in the liminal space (the “in between”) those four minutes the body can survive without oxygen. What happens there? What memories surface? Who do we stay for?

This book made me ache. The language is flowered and nostalgic — fresh moss, hot chocolate, cornbread, tea, rocking chairs. McBride paints memory and love in such a sensory way, I could smell the bread and hear the violin.

Themes of queerness, mortality, love, and caring for others are explored with gentleness and grace. And as a baker, I adored the included recipes and how they tied into memory. The playlist at the end? Divine.

It’s quick, it’s lyrical, it’s introspective. It’s the kind of book that quietly changes you.

If you love novels-in-verse, books that feel like a breath of fresh (and heavy) air, or simply want to feel something pick this one up!

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I’ll be seeking out every single one of Amber McBride’s works from here on out.

Thank you, publisher and NetGalley for the early copy.

This was my first time reading a book told in verse and I was scared it will go over my head, but it was very easy to follow. I loved the way author described things and feelings, such a beautiful language and some I had to read a few times because it made so much sense.
The ending twist was so surprising, definitely didn’t see it coming and it explained everything. Loved the idea behind the story.
The only hard part I had, somewhere towards the end I was getting confused by who is who and why she starts as a keeper. Maybe I missed the point of that, but that’s the part that got muddy for me.

The Leaving Room is a hauntingly beautiful novel in verse that honestly took me by surprise. Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room - the space between life and death. She follows the rules until things begin to change. The entire story takes place in the span of 4 minutes revealing how precious every second of life is. Although I was a little confused at first, I'm glad I kept reading because the ending explained everything in a way that blew me away. This is definitely a book I want to read again because I'm sure there were things I missed the first time around. The Leaving Room is a beautiful exploration of life, love and what happens in the minutes before we cross over into death.

"It’s easier to be a Leaver. It’s harder to be a Stayer."
Wow. I don’t say this lightly, but this might just be one of the most moving, original, and breathtakingly beautiful books I’ve ever read. Gospel by A.M. is a YA novel-in-verse that completely shattered the boundaries of storytelling as I thought I knew them, and then lovingly stitched something brand new in their place. Set in the hauntingly poetic Leaving Room, this story follows Gospel, the Keeper of this liminal space between life and death. Her job is simple: comfort the newly deceased, called Leavers, then guide them through to the next phase. No questions. No deviations. No attachments. But Gospel begins to break the rules. She peeks into memories. She takes naps. She longs for more.
And then a door appears.
Enter Melodee, a fellow Keeper and a forbidden love. As the two form a quiet, fragile connection, Gospel is forced to confront everything she’s ever known about life, death, love, and the cost of choosing to stay. Written in luminous verse, this novella holds the emotional weight of a 300+ page epic inside fewer than 150 pages. It’s poetic, aching, and endlessly profound. The language is so vivid and intentional, it left me breathless more than once. I laughed. I cried. I sat in silence. I reflected on my own grief, my own fears, and what it means to live.And can we talk about the recipes? The way memories and food were interwoven into the storytelling felt like pure magic. Full recipes, yes, real ones, are included, giving the book a sensory depth I didn’t know I needed. It made the memories Gospel uncovers feel even more intimate and deeply human. This book is for anyone who’s ever felt lost in the in-between. It’s for the ones navigating life, death, identity, and the raw, radiant ache of being young and Black in America.
If I could give it infinite stars, I would. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hands down, one of my top reads of the year. I’ll be talking about this one until long after its release on October 13.
🫶🏻💕🥰 Perfect for everyone.

There are some stories you must feel before you understand. The Leaving Room is one of them. A story that feels like memory—soft around the edges, but sharp where it matters. One of those rare stories that slips under your skin and lingers.

Told in exquisite, poetic prose, The Leaving Room is a meditation on what lingers and what leaves us, what we carry, and what sets us free. It unspools a tender, surreal world between life and death—a space where love, memory, and letting go are all tangled up. I read it in one sitting, tears in my eyes by the end. I’ll carry this book with me always—and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know.

Wow, I am honestly completely blown away. I'm not sure there are any words that I could use to truly convey the entire experience that is this novel.

I know I say this frequently, but I have NEVER read anything like this before. This book broke the boundaries of what I thought writing and storytelling were and showed me what they could be.

Written in verse, the story follows Gospel. She is the Keeper of the Leaving Room, a place hovering somewhere in between life and death.

Her job? To follow the rules and help the Leavers who visit her room through to the afterlife. Contended with her role, she fulfills it happily.

But eventually, she starts to question the rules, her job, and whether or not she'll ever be able to leave the Leaving Room.

This one is better left to be experienced for yourself. So, I don't really want to say too much.

However, I do want to take a moment to talk about the writing style and language. It was perhaps the best thing about this novella. Somehow, the author made me feel like I had read 300-plus pages, even though it was barely 150 pages long.

The storytelling itself was phenomenal. My emotions were pulled in several different directions. 😭 This one definitely made me reflect on the most difficult moments of my life, but I mean that in the best way possible.

It is meant to be evocative and bring those emotions to the forefront as it confronts topics such as life and ☠️ itself, what it means to be alive, accepting one's mortality, and the fears of being young and Black in America.

I feel the need to immediately reread it, knowing what I know now, as it will bring a new and deeper meaning to the overall story itself, which I absolutely love. I will definitely come back to this book time and again.

I also want to say that my favorite part of this story is how memories were tied to food, and that full recipes with instructions were also included in the narrative, which gave it just that added personal touch, making it all the more magical.

Hands down, without question, 5 🌟. I would give it infinity stars if I could. This is perfect for everyone 🫶🏻💕🥰 Releases everywhere October 13th!

Thank you to Amber McBride, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Leaving Room is a truly beautiful story I was drawn into such a unique world. It deals with souls transitioning to the next life. The characters connect so closely. What stands out most is how the author explores memory, and hope. However, the writing style is a little bit poetic, and sometimes, I needed to reread a few sentences to make sure I understood it. But, overall, it's such a moving and thought-provoking read that stays with you long after you finish it. Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review Releases October 14th 2025.

Gospel is a Keeper of a Leaving Room, the place all young people must pass through before passing on. In this room Gospel makes them comfortable, before helping them move on. Gospel is alone and that is how she's always remembered it. That is until one day a door appears and through it walks another Keeper named Melody. The two girls become wrapped in each other as they continue to try and abide by the rules of being a Keeper but as long as they remain in the Leaving Room a part of them will always feel trapped. Now, it is there time to leave the room, if only they could find the door...

McBride paints a haunting story chalked full of nostalgia and a longing to know what comes next. Told in lyrical verse The Leaving Room will leave readers with a deep sense of comfort and curiosity. McBride will never write something I have no interest in reading. Her poetry while often somber always leaves me feeling seen and understood in a way others haven't. The Leaving Room is worth entering, I hope you enjoy.

I am very certain that I did not understand all of this book, but it was beautiful and complicated as all of Amber McBride's books are. This was the third of her books that I've read, so I was not surprised that I didn't totally follow along. The story is a YA verse novel about Gospel, who is a Keeper in charge of the Leaving Room. It is a room she can change but cannot leave, and children come there, assumingly after they have died, and she helps them move on to the next place. Through the story, you meet several children who touch Gospel's life in different ways. One day another Leaving Room opens, and Gospel and Melody join together and become close. They have to make decisions to see where their future goes; I don't want to spoil the rest, but there is a moment that changes the course of the story, so stick with it if you're confused as you read, and let students who pick it up know the same! It starts off easy to read but maybe hard to understand, but it comes together in a very clear way in the end. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC.

Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room for children--the place where they go to find comfort before passing into the afterlife. She follows the rules and creates a space for each child to leave, until the rules keep getting broken and everything changes.

This incredibly unique story was a little confusing at first, but I stuck with it because of the beautiful writing. By the end, everything comes together and makes perfect sense. Amber McBride's talent shines in this story that is unlike any other I've read. Verse makes it more accessible even though it is a little difficult for reluctant readers to follow at first.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and Amber McBride for the opportunity to read The Leaving Room in exchange for an honest review.

The Leaving Room is a HiLo Novel-in-Verse that takes place over the span of four minutes. The novel follows Gospel, a Keeper of the Leaving Room. The Leaving Room is the place where people go after death, but before the next place beyond that. Being a teen, Gospel is in charge of seeing the children who enter and leave. Before the children move on, they must offer their most precious memory to Gospel.

When Gospel meets Melodee, there is confusion about who is the Keeper of the room. It turns out, there is more than one Leaving Room, and everyone's experience in that room is different. Gospel and Melodee aim to help each other, growing closer than friends in a space that is unfamiliar, yet reminiscent of recent memory...

The Leaving Room is meant to represent that place where people go during near-death experiences. The body dies, for a few minutes, but the people don't go to the beyond when they are pulled back to life. Many people have shared what their own near-death experiences were like, and share what their "Leaving Room" was for their own individual experience. This is a unique perspective, especially for those who wouldn't relate, but also for those who would. How accurate does this tale across four minutes in limbo hold true?

Overall, this novel-in-verse is an interesting and unique experience that offers a diverse read for teens and explores a unique concept when it comes to life and death.