Blending fantasy themes with strong real world emotion, this is a powerful and fascinating read - compelling, well written, and well worth a read.

I really struggled with this book. The plot line was too slow and I didn’t like the world building. I got confused with all the characters being introduced that I had to go back and reread certain parts.
I finished it but it took a while to get through.
I was hoping for so much more but I think a good first book for the author

"The Grief Nurse" is an enthralling and darkly atmospheric debut novel that weaves together elements of psychological suspense, gothic horror, and a touch of the supernatural. The concept of a Grief Nurse who absorbs and transforms negative emotions is both intriguing and eerie. As the story unfolds on the Asters' private island, the tension escalates, and the mysteries surrounding the deaths keep you hooked. The author's world-building is vivid and captivating, creating an immersive reading experience. Overall, "The Grief Nurse" is a must-read for fans of gothic tales and psychological thrillers.

Angie Spoto’s debut novel is all concept and drama, falling somewhere between country house murder mystery, coming of age narrative and star-crossed romance in a dystopian parallel world. It works best as a character study of Lynx (the eponymous grief nurse) as she learns to reach for agency and demand answers of herself and others. Unfortunately, I felt it was undermined by under-developed and inconsistent worldbuilding, and a supporting cast who were too thinly drawn to deliver on the interesting questions the narrative introduces about the relationships between grief, empathy, morality and class. On the plus side, there's plenty of atmosphere, good bones and some fine literary touches that bode well for Angie Spoto’s future.

Excellent read, I really enjoyed this one.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This book provides a unique and intimate perspective on the experiences of both the grieving and the caregiver. The protagonist, a grief nurse, emerges as a deeply empathetic and relatable character who possesses a rare gift for guiding people through their darkest moments. Her dedication to her patients and the genuine care she extends to them form the emotional core of the narrative.

Through a series of poignant and often heart-wrenching patient stories, the book sheds light on the diverse ways people cope with grief. It beautifully captures the universal themes of love, loss, and resilience, making it a compelling read for anyone who has grappled with the pain of losing a loved one.

I decided to to DNF this one at 20%. I found that there were too many characters being introduced and I found it hard to follow the story. The unusual names completely threw me and I struggled to stop my attention from wondering.

I loved this book as it was a mix of fantasy and a historical vibe. The characters were all written really well and i loved how dramatic and tragic this was. The word grief seeps through this novel and it showed in so many different ways. I liked how the drama was shown and i felt the action was plotted really well. I would read more by this author as this was such a strong read for me.

The writing was more literary fiction than I had expected based on the premise of the book. Yet the MC often read as if she was a YA heroine (lots of inner monologue), but all characters were adults. There wasn't enough world-building and the pacing was too slow to keep me interested.

DNF @32%

Wealthy families ever need to suffer sadness thanks to Grief Nurses who can take those feelings away.

Lynx is a grief nurse for the Asters and she is tightly bound to them. She takes away their pain but this doesn’t stop them keeping secrets and betraying each other. The book describes a rich beautiful world and explores the notion of whether we should be spared the pain of grief or whether it is an essential part of the human condition.

I found the idea that someone could be able to remove someone else's negative feelings to be really interesting. Here it is only the wealthy and privileged who have a grief nurse and the grief nurse are almost treated as if they were contagious and sorrow and despair something that can be transmitted by touch. I found the conflict and intrigue to be good and I really wanted to know what would happen to the family. However, I felt that the characters, the milieu and the background I wanted to know more about. I didn't really get a grip on where and when we were and who these people are.

3.5 ⭐️
A good gothic mystery exploring grief. I enjoyed the use of symbolism in the memories and this added to the atmosphere of the story.
Amongst grief there is exploration of classism, which I thought was well done.
The pacing was a bit slow to build up but delivered at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC, this is my own thoughts and a voluntary review.

Thought the concept of this sounded really interesting, but don’t think the worldbuilding was given enough context and I found it hard to keep up.

Lynx is a grief nurse, one of a group of rare people who have the ability to eliminate grief. In Lynx’s world, grief nurses are employed by wealthy families to keep them Bright, and to ensure grief does not encroach upon their households. Holding someone’s grief token in her hands, Lynx can restore them to joyfulness with a twist of her fingers.

It’s a good premise, and raises many questions around the importance of grief. Although horrible to experience, could it be something we must endure to allow us to grow, to learn? Or would an instant removal improve our lives immeasurably, keeping us happy and content to continue? A difficult question which I’m still wrestling with.

I found a lot of the mechanics here to be confusing and jarring. There’s little information on the process of grief removal; we see it happening, but it seems so abstract and fantastical that it’s very difficult to understand. Spoto introduces a lot of terms, and a lot of various types of people, early on and I found it hazy.

We’re given a lot of flashbacks, and a lot of memories sparked by grief, so much so that it becomes hard to keep track of whose memory we are wading through at any given time. I’m unsure if this was intended, but it felt like a dream, and confusion is not a feeling I particularly like whilst trying to get to grips with a new world, with new rules and customs.

An excellent premise, and Spoto clearly has a labyrinth of an imagination, but I just couldn’t enjoy this as much as I’d have liked.

My thanks to the author, the publishers and Netgalley for giving be an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not finish reading it. I loved the premise of a grief nurse - what an intriguing idea! However, I found I couldn't engage with the characters and world.

I read about 40% and in that there is some beautiful writing, descriptive and evocative. Perhaps if the concept and world had been introduced more clearly from the start I would have been able to lose myself more in the story. As it was, I struggled to understand the import of what was happening and why people were interacting in the way they did. (For example, the red/pink rose thing at the ball - it was presented like a big deal, but I got the impression I was missing a backstory about why it mattered so much.) I felt like I was reading book two in a series, without having read book one.

I think some readers will love this, if they can immerse themselves in the atmosphere, but it was just too high fantasy for my taste. I didn't realise this before requesting it. My bad.

(Review in exchange for e-arc).

I was really intrigued by the concept of this book which is why I requested it and on the whole, I really enjoyed how it was carried out! I found it a really unique story, unlike anything I’d read before, really emotional both in the story premise and the way it was written and carried out. There were these gorgeous descriptions bringing everything to life, and I loved the way it wasn’t too high a fantasy but actually something that doesn’t seem too far from this world. The only thing I’d say is the pacing and development had some teething issues; some content felt underdeveloped, the pacing felt slow yet the ending felt a bit rushed. Having said that, I did enjoy the book and enjoyed my reading experience, that’s just why it’s not a higher rating!

Lynx is a Grief Nurse for the Asters, who are an affluent family, to ensure they never have to deal with negative emotions. News arrives that the Asters' eldest son is dead, so Lynx is called in. Guests flock to the Asters' private island for the wake, bringing their own secrets and grief and other deaths.

I liked the description of this book and requested it on that basis without quite realising it was a fantasy novel, which isn't a genre I loved to read that much. Aside from the style of book, I felt the writing was hard to follow, maybe needed more 'world building' to help situate the story and characters. So unfortunately this was a DNF for me, I tried and read a significant amount of it, but just couldn't get on board with it and that's probably more on me than on the author or book itself as I know there's been some very positive reviews and feedback.

Not what I expected.
I did not realise this was a fantasy novel, I found it interesting, dark and somewhat puzzling. For me the foundation of the grief nurse needed more explanations.
Lynx is a grief nurse to the Astor family living in an island in a beautiful mansion. The family consist of Mr. and Ms. Aster their sons Crater, Sculptor, Eridanus and daughter Andromeda. Lynx takes away their grief by holding their token and makes them brighter and happier.
The family are short of money through mismanagement, they have standards that Ms. Aster wishes to maintain. The news that Sculptor is dead, brings grief that is taken on by Lynx, she feels their pain and can look into their past.
A party is held for Sculptors death, Vela Sculptors fiance brings his grief nurse, who will be inherited by a family member, other deaths start to occur, leading lynx to question her own motives and existence.
Thank you Angie and NetGalley.

*Many thanks to Angie Spoto, Sandstone Press, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
The concept of a person who is owned by a wealthy individual and whose task is to absorb any grief that may appear is the best thing about the novel. I am afraid this book was beyond my comfort zone and much as I liked Lynx, the grief nurse, I found it hard to fully immerse in the novel. I would recommend it to anyone who is open to most unusual ideas.

I absolutely loved the premise about giving your grief, and I loved that this was written by a fellow American also living in the UK. Unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with the style of writing and had a difficult time understanding the world and how things worked in this dystopian high society. I wish the story had a bit more focus on the world building to help me better appreciate the concept. Even though the description ticked my reader boxes, I don't think this story was meant for me.

Thank you, Sandstone, for sending this e-ARC for my honest review!