What do you think?
Rate this book
Sour Rot
“All I needed or ever wanted was him. Our bodies. The cold, wet soil. This exquisite death.”This is Jane Eyre meets American Horror Story, set between Yorkshire and London. A complex young woman falls in love with a mysterious funeral director.
Lily A. Grace debuts book one of her gothic horromance series. A story of elegance and beauty among sorrow and decay. A place where worms pulse in the soil of their devotion; where their love and longing grows...and where it festers.
They say love is madness. Grace Lockett learns that love is death; the death of everything she knows. When her parents die, Grace flees her dilapidated cottage for an apprenticeship at a funeral home run by the enigmatic Nicholas Crowthorne.
Exiled and surly, Nicholas recognises a darkness in Grace; a penchant for the disturbing which he has seen before. Her resemblance to Louisa, his long-dead fiancé, makes her all the more intoxicating. Among the formaldehyde, she ignites his need to protect and possess, while he awakens Grace’s dormant desires and allows them to flourish. But who, Grace asks, was Louisa? Can Grace find herself while she walks in the footsteps of the one Nicholas loved before?
Their burning passion illuminates the lies and corruption beneath the surface, and unveils their deepest secrets. Deceit, tragedy, and murder unfold in the wake of their love...but what’s a little death, in the funeral business?
Age gap, toxic love, dual POV.
A modern-day setting with a dark, nostalgic writing style.
Contains adult content, mature readers only.
Trigger warnings/
Sour Rot is a Gothic Romance either detailing or referencing the following dark themes. If they bother you, trigger you, or offend you at all, please do not read this
Childhood abuse, trauma, grape. Death, mortuary details, funereal practices. Ghosts, the supernatural. Some spicy adult scenes with graphic details. Mental health issues. Arson. Blood, violence, murder.
Lily A. Grace debuts book one of her gothic horromance series. A story of elegance and beauty among sorrow and decay. A place where worms pulse in the soil of their devotion; where their love and longing grows...and where it festers.
They say love is madness. Grace Lockett learns that love is death; the death of everything she knows. When her parents die, Grace flees her dilapidated cottage for an apprenticeship at a funeral home run by the enigmatic Nicholas Crowthorne.
Exiled and surly, Nicholas recognises a darkness in Grace; a penchant for the disturbing which he has seen before. Her resemblance to Louisa, his long-dead fiancé, makes her all the more intoxicating. Among the formaldehyde, she ignites his need to protect and possess, while he awakens Grace’s dormant desires and allows them to flourish. But who, Grace asks, was Louisa? Can Grace find herself while she walks in the footsteps of the one Nicholas loved before?
Their burning passion illuminates the lies and corruption beneath the surface, and unveils their deepest secrets. Deceit, tragedy, and murder unfold in the wake of their love...but what’s a little death, in the funeral business?
Age gap, toxic love, dual POV.
A modern-day setting with a dark, nostalgic writing style.
Contains adult content, mature readers only.
Trigger warnings/
Sour Rot is a Gothic Romance either detailing or referencing the following dark themes. If they bother you, trigger you, or offend you at all, please do not read this
Childhood abuse, trauma, grape. Death, mortuary details, funereal practices. Ghosts, the supernatural. Some spicy adult scenes with graphic details. Mental health issues. Arson. Blood, violence, murder.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2026
41 people are currently reading
730 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
January 19, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 stars, rounded up)
Sour Rot started out as a very sweet, almost innocent gothic romance, and I was immediately charmed. The beginning had all the cozy, romantic vibes. Moody setting, yearning, pining, and yes, a bit of insta-lust. Normally that’s not my favorite, but there was enough slow burn tension and emotional buildup that it worked well enough for me. The first third of the book was genuinely adorable and romance-forward, and I was happily along for the ride.
Then things went completely off the rails in the best way possible. The story took several wild, unexpected turns, and I found myself glued to the pages, desperate to know what would happen next. Watching the characters evolve from seemingly sweet and innocent into deeply unhinged people with dark pasts and terrible secrets was fascinating and very well done. I also absolutely loved the blend of romance and horror. It’s such a fun, thrilling combination, and Lily A. Grace pulled it off beautifully.
My only real gripe was how often the age gap between the main characters was brought up. I get it. She’s younger than him. Message received. But she’s 21, a full-grown adult capable of making her own choices, and the repeated emphasis started to feel a bit heavy-handed. I’m a fan of (legal) age-gap romances though, so maybe that’s on me.
Overall, this was a unique, gripping read that surprised me in the best ways, and I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author.
I received an ARC of Sour Rot from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sour Rot started out as a very sweet, almost innocent gothic romance, and I was immediately charmed. The beginning had all the cozy, romantic vibes. Moody setting, yearning, pining, and yes, a bit of insta-lust. Normally that’s not my favorite, but there was enough slow burn tension and emotional buildup that it worked well enough for me. The first third of the book was genuinely adorable and romance-forward, and I was happily along for the ride.
Then things went completely off the rails in the best way possible. The story took several wild, unexpected turns, and I found myself glued to the pages, desperate to know what would happen next. Watching the characters evolve from seemingly sweet and innocent into deeply unhinged people with dark pasts and terrible secrets was fascinating and very well done. I also absolutely loved the blend of romance and horror. It’s such a fun, thrilling combination, and Lily A. Grace pulled it off beautifully.
My only real gripe was how often the age gap between the main characters was brought up. I get it. She’s younger than him. Message received. But she’s 21, a full-grown adult capable of making her own choices, and the repeated emphasis started to feel a bit heavy-handed. I’m a fan of (legal) age-gap romances though, so maybe that’s on me.
Overall, this was a unique, gripping read that surprised me in the best ways, and I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author.
I received an ARC of Sour Rot from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you for the e-arc!!
2 star
I had only a few pages left but count this as a finish. It didn't hit off for me sadly. As it's self published I don't want to leave a negative review but some errors and just the obsession with her young features was just too much to really get into the story.
Would be great with more gothic elements in it but the story premise did intrigue me. Also the cover is what got my attention and sadly I think another review that mentioned about the cover might be correct which is unfortunate. I had really high hopes for this but sadly this wasn't for me but might be a great read for another reader!
2 star
I had only a few pages left but count this as a finish. It didn't hit off for me sadly. As it's self published I don't want to leave a negative review but some errors and just the obsession with her young features was just too much to really get into the story.
Would be great with more gothic elements in it but the story premise did intrigue me. Also the cover is what got my attention and sadly I think another review that mentioned about the cover might be correct which is unfortunate. I had really high hopes for this but sadly this wasn't for me but might be a great read for another reader!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4⭐️
Grace and her mother live alone on a farm in the English countryside. Grace's days are spent tending their livestock, fetching water from the nearby creek and doing the mindless chores that are required of her to take care of her dying mother. When her mother passes, Grace is determined to leave. After the funeral, a local woman gives Grace an invitation to apply to apprentice for the funeral director who runs a large collection of funeral homes in and around London, including the one that Grace used for her mother's funeral. Grace, wanting to leave the village she has been trapped in, takes the opportunity and travels to London to plead for the job. Nicholas Crowthorne, the funeral director, is not only intrigued by Grace but attracted to her, despite their age difference and the undeniable fact that Grace looks exactly like his long dead fiancee, Louisa. He decides to take her under his wing and apprentice her to become his replacement. However, as their attraction grows, as Grace finds belonging in not only their work but Nick's desire, their secrets began to surface. Can Grace look past her resemblance to Louisa? Can Nick trust Grace? Deceptions, murder, and formaldehyde swarm around this intoxicating love story.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed this story. There was enough about it that kept me interested and wanting to know the secrets both characters were harboring. The only thing I wished had been fleshed out a big more was Grace's character turns. She seemed one minute to be thankful to Maggie, and then blame her for every thing going wrong. And likewise, her trust in NIck felt like it swayed every few pages. Otherwise, it was a fun story, interesting premise. I liked the Jane Eyre vibes of it all, without it being a complete re-written Jane Eyre plot.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced reader's copy to review. All opinions are my own.
Grace and her mother live alone on a farm in the English countryside. Grace's days are spent tending their livestock, fetching water from the nearby creek and doing the mindless chores that are required of her to take care of her dying mother. When her mother passes, Grace is determined to leave. After the funeral, a local woman gives Grace an invitation to apply to apprentice for the funeral director who runs a large collection of funeral homes in and around London, including the one that Grace used for her mother's funeral. Grace, wanting to leave the village she has been trapped in, takes the opportunity and travels to London to plead for the job. Nicholas Crowthorne, the funeral director, is not only intrigued by Grace but attracted to her, despite their age difference and the undeniable fact that Grace looks exactly like his long dead fiancee, Louisa. He decides to take her under his wing and apprentice her to become his replacement. However, as their attraction grows, as Grace finds belonging in not only their work but Nick's desire, their secrets began to surface. Can Grace look past her resemblance to Louisa? Can Nick trust Grace? Deceptions, murder, and formaldehyde swarm around this intoxicating love story.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed this story. There was enough about it that kept me interested and wanting to know the secrets both characters were harboring. The only thing I wished had been fleshed out a big more was Grace's character turns. She seemed one minute to be thankful to Maggie, and then blame her for every thing going wrong. And likewise, her trust in NIck felt like it swayed every few pages. Otherwise, it was a fun story, interesting premise. I liked the Jane Eyre vibes of it all, without it being a complete re-written Jane Eyre plot.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced reader's copy to review. All opinions are my own.
February 14, 2026
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️⭐️
~
• fiction, horror, romance
• dark, mysterious, tense, emotional, sad, medium-paced
~
TW: graphic sexual assault, rape, grape, fire and fire injury, arson, animal cruelty, animal death, child abuse, murder, funeral details, general gore, mental health issues, toxic relationship, obsession
~
Happy release date, sweet Sour rot!!
Mulțumiri speciale NetGalley și autoarei pentru ca mi-au oferit un e-Arc.
Debutul autoarei Lily A. Grace a ajuns fix în topul cărților mele preferate din acest an și în topul preferatelor mele all time.
Trebuie să menționez încă de la început că romanul este unul gotic, un horror romance plin de traume, eleganță, tristețe , frumusețe, decădere și plin de lucruri care ar putea să te triggeruiască. Cel mai bine e să verifici lista de TW înainte de a citi cartea.
În mijlocul unui decor englezesc, o urmărim pe Grace Lockett care, după moartea părinților ei este nevoită să fugă din propriul cămin pentru a nu cădea pradă fantomelor și demonilor care o înconjoară. Așa ajunge la casa mortuară a enigmaticului Nicholas Crowthorne.
Între personajele noastre se înfiripă o relație pasională, aproape toxică, dar lucrurile care te șochează cu adevărat sunt demonii pe care fiecare dintre cele două personaje principale trebuie să-i înfrunte separat.
Cineva a descris cartea asta ca o combinație între Jane Eyre și American Horror Story, și sunt de acord chiar dacă nu am citit încă Jane Eyre. Însă eu am avut mai multe momente în care am simțit că relația dintre cei doi este extrem de asemănătoare cu cea dintre Belle și Bestia (inclusiv partea în care îi oferă întreaga bibliotecă). Și trebuie să menționez faptul că casa mortuară m-a trimis de mai multe ori cu gândul la serialul Chilling adventures of Sabrina.
Povestea asta e invadată de putreziciune, îndoială, mister și totodată frumusețe în fiecare colț în care privești, de la trecutul traumatizant al personajelor noastre, la decor și chiar și la asemănarea stranie dintre Grace și fosta logodnică a lui Nicholas.
Cei doi au o relație autentică și m-a șocat câtă frumusețe și sensibilitate poate exista în genul acesta de decor și situație.
Odată cu acest titlu, Lily A. Grace a intrat în lista mea de autori auto-buy și în topul autoarelor mele preferate.
Dacă îți plac titlurile din categoria weird books, clar acest titlu este pentru tine.
~
• fiction, horror, romance
• dark, mysterious, tense, emotional, sad, medium-paced
~
TW: graphic sexual assault, rape, grape, fire and fire injury, arson, animal cruelty, animal death, child abuse, murder, funeral details, general gore, mental health issues, toxic relationship, obsession
~
Happy release date, sweet Sour rot!!
Mulțumiri speciale NetGalley și autoarei pentru ca mi-au oferit un e-Arc.
Debutul autoarei Lily A. Grace a ajuns fix în topul cărților mele preferate din acest an și în topul preferatelor mele all time.
Trebuie să menționez încă de la început că romanul este unul gotic, un horror romance plin de traume, eleganță, tristețe , frumusețe, decădere și plin de lucruri care ar putea să te triggeruiască. Cel mai bine e să verifici lista de TW înainte de a citi cartea.
În mijlocul unui decor englezesc, o urmărim pe Grace Lockett care, după moartea părinților ei este nevoită să fugă din propriul cămin pentru a nu cădea pradă fantomelor și demonilor care o înconjoară. Așa ajunge la casa mortuară a enigmaticului Nicholas Crowthorne.
Între personajele noastre se înfiripă o relație pasională, aproape toxică, dar lucrurile care te șochează cu adevărat sunt demonii pe care fiecare dintre cele două personaje principale trebuie să-i înfrunte separat.
Cineva a descris cartea asta ca o combinație între Jane Eyre și American Horror Story, și sunt de acord chiar dacă nu am citit încă Jane Eyre. Însă eu am avut mai multe momente în care am simțit că relația dintre cei doi este extrem de asemănătoare cu cea dintre Belle și Bestia (inclusiv partea în care îi oferă întreaga bibliotecă). Și trebuie să menționez faptul că casa mortuară m-a trimis de mai multe ori cu gândul la serialul Chilling adventures of Sabrina.
Povestea asta e invadată de putreziciune, îndoială, mister și totodată frumusețe în fiecare colț în care privești, de la trecutul traumatizant al personajelor noastre, la decor și chiar și la asemănarea stranie dintre Grace și fosta logodnică a lui Nicholas.
Cei doi au o relație autentică și m-a șocat câtă frumusețe și sensibilitate poate exista în genul acesta de decor și situație.
Odată cu acest titlu, Lily A. Grace a intrat în lista mea de autori auto-buy și în topul autoarelor mele preferate.
Dacă îți plac titlurile din categoria weird books, clar acest titlu este pentru tine.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Phenomenal debut from. Lily A. Grace here.
I am NOT a romance girlie.
This had me sneaking away from the kids and hiding so I could read just the next chapter.
If you like moderately dark romance combined with horror, you absolutely have to give this a read.
Well written characters and a solid plot, drama, twists, a sprinkle of gore and a little bit of ✨spice✨.
E-ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am NOT a romance girlie.
This had me sneaking away from the kids and hiding so I could read just the next chapter.
If you like moderately dark romance combined with horror, you absolutely have to give this a read.
Well written characters and a solid plot, drama, twists, a sprinkle of gore and a little bit of ✨spice✨.
E-ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to the publisher for this ARC!
I unfortunately had to DNF at 20%. I had high hopes for this book, but I could not get past how the age gap was handled. I don't mind an age gap, but at only 20% into the book, the amount of times I had to hear about how young, child-like, naive, juvenile ect the FMC was this just turned creepy. The MMC came across as a completely predatory groomer which is not at all what I want to see in a book marketed as a romance. I did enjoy the style of the writing and I'd be interested in reading more from this author in the future, but without a child-like FMC.
I unfortunately had to DNF at 20%. I had high hopes for this book, but I could not get past how the age gap was handled. I don't mind an age gap, but at only 20% into the book, the amount of times I had to hear about how young, child-like, naive, juvenile ect the FMC was this just turned creepy. The MMC came across as a completely predatory groomer which is not at all what I want to see in a book marketed as a romance. I did enjoy the style of the writing and I'd be interested in reading more from this author in the future, but without a child-like FMC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was...not good.
Sour Rot is a dual POV book focused around Grace, a peculiar young girl whose mother just passed away and has lived in relative solitude her whole life, and Nicholas, a MUCH older man who is a funeral director with a dark past. At her mother's wake, Grace is presented with the opportunity for employment at Nick's funeral home.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room first: the age gap. Grace is 21 years old and Nick is just about twice her age, at 41. This wouldn't have been so terrible if it weren't CONSTANTLY harped on, with Grace regularly being referred to as naïve, virginal, innocent, young, etc. etc. It is very uncomfortable.
The characters also have no chemistry outside of proximity and the fact that Grace looks strikingly like Nick's former lover. They get engaged within months of meeting and are married just months after that. There is little to no development of their relationship and dynamic and most of their interactions are misunderstandings, lies, or arguments.
There is also the matter of the setting. It is written in a gothic style in a modern setting, and everyone is always telling Grace how old-fashioned she seems due to being born and raised in a rural area her whole life. To be honest, having this be set in modern times adds almost nothing to the story except for a few convenient moments linked to using a phone or other technology. I don't understand why it wouldn't have just been written in a historical setting; it would have made everything feel much more cohesive. Instead, it just seemed disjointed and made Grace particularly annoying.
Grace is a pretty cookie-cutter protagonist, your standard "not like other girls" young woman who is wise beyond her years while also being naïve enough to make stupid decisions and further the plot. Nothing about her is likeable, unfortunately.
The greatest sin of this book, perhaps, is that it is just downright boring. The first 50% or so is a snoozefest, and it was really a struggle to get to any semblance of plot. So many gothic/horror elements were introduced (the rotting figs, ghost sightings, etc.) and then never expounded upon in any significant way. I thought the setting of a funeral home would be interesting since it's not something I'd read before, but it was an extremely overlooked element of the book. There were great stretches of time where you could forget that's even where it took place.
And finally, the cover. There have been rumors that the original cover was AI-generated, and judging by the fact that the cover was updated while I was reading it, I feel like that is confirmation enough. It is incredibly disappointing to see a creator of any kind use generative AI in their work, and is downright inexcusable in the book space.
Normally I like to end reviews on a high note to wrap things up nicely, but truthfully, I do not have anything positive to say about this book. My favorite part was finishing it so I can start reading a better one instead.
Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for this ARC.
Sour Rot is a dual POV book focused around Grace, a peculiar young girl whose mother just passed away and has lived in relative solitude her whole life, and Nicholas, a MUCH older man who is a funeral director with a dark past. At her mother's wake, Grace is presented with the opportunity for employment at Nick's funeral home.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room first: the age gap. Grace is 21 years old and Nick is just about twice her age, at 41. This wouldn't have been so terrible if it weren't CONSTANTLY harped on, with Grace regularly being referred to as naïve, virginal, innocent, young, etc. etc. It is very uncomfortable.
The characters also have no chemistry outside of proximity and the fact that Grace looks strikingly like Nick's former lover. They get engaged within months of meeting and are married just months after that. There is little to no development of their relationship and dynamic and most of their interactions are misunderstandings, lies, or arguments.
There is also the matter of the setting. It is written in a gothic style in a modern setting, and everyone is always telling Grace how old-fashioned she seems due to being born and raised in a rural area her whole life. To be honest, having this be set in modern times adds almost nothing to the story except for a few convenient moments linked to using a phone or other technology. I don't understand why it wouldn't have just been written in a historical setting; it would have made everything feel much more cohesive. Instead, it just seemed disjointed and made Grace particularly annoying.
Grace is a pretty cookie-cutter protagonist, your standard "not like other girls" young woman who is wise beyond her years while also being naïve enough to make stupid decisions and further the plot. Nothing about her is likeable, unfortunately.
The greatest sin of this book, perhaps, is that it is just downright boring. The first 50% or so is a snoozefest, and it was really a struggle to get to any semblance of plot. So many gothic/horror elements were introduced (the rotting figs, ghost sightings, etc.) and then never expounded upon in any significant way. I thought the setting of a funeral home would be interesting since it's not something I'd read before, but it was an extremely overlooked element of the book. There were great stretches of time where you could forget that's even where it took place.
And finally, the cover. There have been rumors that the original cover was AI-generated, and judging by the fact that the cover was updated while I was reading it, I feel like that is confirmation enough. It is incredibly disappointing to see a creator of any kind use generative AI in their work, and is downright inexcusable in the book space.
Normally I like to end reviews on a high note to wrap things up nicely, but truthfully, I do not have anything positive to say about this book. My favorite part was finishing it so I can start reading a better one instead.
Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for this ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶
Sour Rot is a Gothic romance about secrets and the rot they can infuse into a person and their relationships.
Grace has been sheltered and protected, home schooled and raised by parents that were intent on keeping the modern world away from their child. Raise like she was living in the 1800's Grace has only known what her parents have allowed her to experience along with one childhood friend whom she is supposed to marry when the time comes. After both her parents have passed, Grace find an opportunity to escape her life; running away from all she has known to take a job working at a funeral home that includes room and board with the job.
Nick is a lonely man plagued by his past and vicious rumors that have haunted him since his family died in a fire. Now running the family funeral home business he is looking for an assistant to help with the day-to-day operations of his business. When Grace shows up desperate and in great need of saving, Nick, 20-years her senior, can't help but take her in and give her the job.
As they work together and find themselves drawn to each other, ghosts of their pasts begin to make themselves known. Both of them have hidden secrets and trauma, and as their relationship grows and progresses, their pasts begin to rot their chance at a future, and possibly, their survival.
This was an interesting read. While I didn't totally love it, I also didn't hate it. The combination of weaving old style living and ways into modern day life was interesting and gave Grace a unique character. I do feel like the plot twists were somewhat predictable, but the plot kept me engaged enough that I kept turning the pages to see how it would end. I had a hard time reconciling that they lived in the current time, yet not only Grace, but the people and society around Nick, seemed stuck in an 1800s mindset and way of thinking. I took away from the flow or believability of the storyline and made it harder for me to really immerse myself into the book and it seemed inconsistent.
I did enjoy that Nick and Grace were able to see and recognize the darkness within the other, and love each other all the more for it.
Thank you to the author and Netgally for an ARC copy of this book.
🌶
Sour Rot is a Gothic romance about secrets and the rot they can infuse into a person and their relationships.
Grace has been sheltered and protected, home schooled and raised by parents that were intent on keeping the modern world away from their child. Raise like she was living in the 1800's Grace has only known what her parents have allowed her to experience along with one childhood friend whom she is supposed to marry when the time comes. After both her parents have passed, Grace find an opportunity to escape her life; running away from all she has known to take a job working at a funeral home that includes room and board with the job.
Nick is a lonely man plagued by his past and vicious rumors that have haunted him since his family died in a fire. Now running the family funeral home business he is looking for an assistant to help with the day-to-day operations of his business. When Grace shows up desperate and in great need of saving, Nick, 20-years her senior, can't help but take her in and give her the job.
As they work together and find themselves drawn to each other, ghosts of their pasts begin to make themselves known. Both of them have hidden secrets and trauma, and as their relationship grows and progresses, their pasts begin to rot their chance at a future, and possibly, their survival.
This was an interesting read. While I didn't totally love it, I also didn't hate it. The combination of weaving old style living and ways into modern day life was interesting and gave Grace a unique character. I do feel like the plot twists were somewhat predictable, but the plot kept me engaged enough that I kept turning the pages to see how it would end. I had a hard time reconciling that they lived in the current time, yet not only Grace, but the people and society around Nick, seemed stuck in an 1800s mindset and way of thinking. I took away from the flow or believability of the storyline and made it harder for me to really immerse myself into the book and it seemed inconsistent.
I did enjoy that Nick and Grace were able to see and recognize the darkness within the other, and love each other all the more for it.
Thank you to the author and Netgally for an ARC copy of this book.
February 3, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
Grace runs away from home after the death of her parents with who she had a hard life in the dales. Abuse, hardships and internal suffering is all Grace knows when a miracle job offer is her saving grace. She meets Nicholas, the older, brooding and steely owner of Crowthorne Funeral Home that Grace was told about after the funeral of her mother and is soon accepted as his apprentice, things kick off pretty rapidly from there. What starts as a teacher/student, mentor/apprentice dynamic quickly turns to passion and lust, a love that is toxic but delicious, oh, so, so delicious and disturbing but in the best way!
If you’re faint of heart this book might not be for you! Grace and Nick thrive in each other’s darkness, feeding off of each other, like they were made for each other.
This book does not shy away from the darkness that comes with mental illness. The struggles with her parents, so sad and tragic, you can’t help but feel such empathy for Grace. Please check the triggers warnings before reading as some topics can get very explicit.
This is a truly dark tale full of death, trauma, morbid fascination and an intoxicating age gap romance. Sprinkle in ghosts… of the haunting kind (sort of👀), terrifyingly high stakes and some truly disgusting antagonists and you’ve got one intoxicating horror story.
I was so uncomfortable at times, Lily A. Grace’s writing is macabre, gothic and descriptive, makes you feel like you’re in a different time. Exceptionally suspenseful storytelling with swift pacing that I feel helped the story along nicely! The last 20% of the book had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out all the deeply rooted twists and turns, the deception of Crowthorne, the truth behind Nicholas and Grace’s past, who they truly are and who they were always meant to be.
Sour Rot is a new favorite, creepy and unsettling as it is, it will keep you hooked till the very end.
I hear there will be more of Grace and Nicholas’s story to come!🙌🏻👀 I am waiting patiently😌
*Thank you to Netgalley and Lily A. Grace for an ARC of Sour Rot! I am truly grateful for the opportunity!*
🌶️🌶️
Grace runs away from home after the death of her parents with who she had a hard life in the dales. Abuse, hardships and internal suffering is all Grace knows when a miracle job offer is her saving grace. She meets Nicholas, the older, brooding and steely owner of Crowthorne Funeral Home that Grace was told about after the funeral of her mother and is soon accepted as his apprentice, things kick off pretty rapidly from there. What starts as a teacher/student, mentor/apprentice dynamic quickly turns to passion and lust, a love that is toxic but delicious, oh, so, so delicious and disturbing but in the best way!
If you’re faint of heart this book might not be for you! Grace and Nick thrive in each other’s darkness, feeding off of each other, like they were made for each other.
This book does not shy away from the darkness that comes with mental illness. The struggles with her parents, so sad and tragic, you can’t help but feel such empathy for Grace. Please check the triggers warnings before reading as some topics can get very explicit.
This is a truly dark tale full of death, trauma, morbid fascination and an intoxicating age gap romance. Sprinkle in ghosts… of the haunting kind (sort of👀), terrifyingly high stakes and some truly disgusting antagonists and you’ve got one intoxicating horror story.
I was so uncomfortable at times, Lily A. Grace’s writing is macabre, gothic and descriptive, makes you feel like you’re in a different time. Exceptionally suspenseful storytelling with swift pacing that I feel helped the story along nicely! The last 20% of the book had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out all the deeply rooted twists and turns, the deception of Crowthorne, the truth behind Nicholas and Grace’s past, who they truly are and who they were always meant to be.
Sour Rot is a new favorite, creepy and unsettling as it is, it will keep you hooked till the very end.
I hear there will be more of Grace and Nicholas’s story to come!🙌🏻👀 I am waiting patiently😌
*Thank you to Netgalley and Lily A. Grace for an ARC of Sour Rot! I am truly grateful for the opportunity!*
January 15, 2026
It’s only January but I feel confident in saying this is going to make my top ten favorites of 2026!
This was the kind of book I never knew I needed. Gothic, just the right amount of horror (and smut). A forbidden love story, a funeral home… UGH. I loved everything about this book.
This was the kind of book I never knew I needed. Gothic, just the right amount of horror (and smut). A forbidden love story, a funeral home… UGH. I loved everything about this book.
February 23, 2026
this would have been infinitely better without the humongous age gap and the emphasis on it. if i ever have to hear the phrase "old soul in a young body" again i won't guarantee for anyone's safety. especially since grace is in no way behaving like an actual full grown adult, which is ok. she's 21 ffs, of course she's dumb and impulsive and her moods sway this way and that (yes i found that rather annoying but at least it kinda fit the character).
and i really really really (i cannot stress this enough) really disliked nicholas' pov when his fatherly protectiveness and his physical craving for grace intermingle. eww eww eww. this is especially weird given grace's background story, like, i get that this might actually happen to someone like her but nope. imma head out.
and don't get me started on the "twist" in the second half which was obvious from the beginning but in some aspects so unrealistic it took away a lot of the vibes and atmosphere that were actually not too bad at all.
this was moody and dark and refreshing because we don't get cutesy lovey dovey emotionally and mentally settled/stable characters but rather deeply disturbed ones with very questionable behaviours and morals. and yes, for some people this whole age gap thing might fit in there very well (which i suppose it does) but for me personally that's where i draw the line bc this is not the enjoyable type of horror and emotional instability (and quite frankly exploitation of a disturbed young woman) i wanna read.
and the ending gave me the rest. had i not known any better i would've thought this was an american novel because of the two very cliched aspects of the ending.
so overall this story is kinda a yes but no. it's definitely emotionally unsettling in a very unexpected way and maybe that's exactly what the author aimed for and if so, congrats bc that was done masterfully, i suppose.
Huge thanks to Victor Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
and i really really really (i cannot stress this enough) really disliked nicholas' pov when his fatherly protectiveness and his physical craving for grace intermingle. eww eww eww. this is especially weird given grace's background story, like, i get that this might actually happen to someone like her but nope. imma head out.
and don't get me started on the "twist" in the second half which was obvious from the beginning but in some aspects so unrealistic it took away a lot of the vibes and atmosphere that were actually not too bad at all.
this was moody and dark and refreshing because we don't get cutesy lovey dovey emotionally and mentally settled/stable characters but rather deeply disturbed ones with very questionable behaviours and morals. and yes, for some people this whole age gap thing might fit in there very well (which i suppose it does) but for me personally that's where i draw the line bc this is not the enjoyable type of horror and emotional instability (and quite frankly exploitation of a disturbed young woman) i wanna read.
and the ending gave me the rest. had i not known any better i would've thought this was an american novel because of the two very cliched aspects of the ending.
so overall this story is kinda a yes but no. it's definitely emotionally unsettling in a very unexpected way and maybe that's exactly what the author aimed for and if so, congrats bc that was done masterfully, i suppose.
Huge thanks to Victor Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read
March 6, 2026There’s something deliciously unsettling about a story that treats death not as an ending, but as a profession. Sour Rot: A Gothic Romance leans fully into that tension, unfolding in the shadowy corners of the funeral industry where grief, intimacy, and decay sit side by side.
Lily A. Grace writes with a quiet, creeping dread. The atmosphere is thick—like the air of a room that hasn’t been opened in years—yet the story never feels stagnant. Instead, it slowly ferments, revealing the strange emotional ecosystem that exists around death. Love in this world isn’t delicate or clean. It’s complicated, obsessive, and tinged with the faint smell of formaldehyde.
What makes the book compelling is how it treats mortality as both the setting and the emotional engine. The characters move through their grief and desire with the same uneasy familiarity that funeral workers develop with the dead. Romance here isn’t about escape from darkness; it grows directly out of it.
Grace balances gothic sensibility with a grounded understanding of human vulnerability. The result is a story that feels intimate rather than melodramatic—less haunted mansion spectacle, more quiet conversation in a room where the lights are always a little too dim.
Sour Rot ultimately asks a simple but unnerving question: when your life is built around death, what does love begin to look like?
The answer is strange, tender, and just a little rotten.
Lily A. Grace writes with a quiet, creeping dread. The atmosphere is thick—like the air of a room that hasn’t been opened in years—yet the story never feels stagnant. Instead, it slowly ferments, revealing the strange emotional ecosystem that exists around death. Love in this world isn’t delicate or clean. It’s complicated, obsessive, and tinged with the faint smell of formaldehyde.
What makes the book compelling is how it treats mortality as both the setting and the emotional engine. The characters move through their grief and desire with the same uneasy familiarity that funeral workers develop with the dead. Romance here isn’t about escape from darkness; it grows directly out of it.
Grace balances gothic sensibility with a grounded understanding of human vulnerability. The result is a story that feels intimate rather than melodramatic—less haunted mansion spectacle, more quiet conversation in a room where the lights are always a little too dim.
Sour Rot ultimately asks a simple but unnerving question: when your life is built around death, what does love begin to look like?
The answer is strange, tender, and just a little rotten.
February 15, 2026
I had a good time with this one!
The dark, gothic vibes were exactly what I was wanting. As with any dark romance, this won’t be for everyone, but I really enjoyed the blend of horror and romance! There was definitely some toxic love going on which is exactly what I’d expect from 2 dark and twisty characters like these! The funeral home setting was also interesting! I do wish we could have gotten things a little more fleshed out with both Grace and Nick’s backgrounds, and even some more of Grace taking to learning to be a funeral director. Some of that felt a little bare-bones (pun intended) to keep the pace moving along, but I was intrigued enough with the characters that I wanted to know more!
I look forward to reading more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!
The dark, gothic vibes were exactly what I was wanting. As with any dark romance, this won’t be for everyone, but I really enjoyed the blend of horror and romance! There was definitely some toxic love going on which is exactly what I’d expect from 2 dark and twisty characters like these! The funeral home setting was also interesting! I do wish we could have gotten things a little more fleshed out with both Grace and Nick’s backgrounds, and even some more of Grace taking to learning to be a funeral director. Some of that felt a little bare-bones (pun intended) to keep the pace moving along, but I was intrigued enough with the characters that I wanted to know more!
I look forward to reading more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!
February 8, 2026
3.75/5⭐️ (Rating has been rounded up)
2/5🌶️
This book kept me awake all night as I devoured it in one sitting! Not only do I love a good age gap but I also love multiple POVs and the unreliable narrator trope kept me guessing until the very last chapter. Everyone has secrets but some are much bigger and darker than others and I appreciate Nick and Grace's ability to stare into that dark with each other. The gothic horror vibes and imagery were immaculate and I'm excited to see how they continue in book two after that last revelation. I'm a huge sucker for a good mortuary/funeral home related story as well and this one did not disappoint!
This was an ARC via NetGalley.
2/5🌶️
This book kept me awake all night as I devoured it in one sitting! Not only do I love a good age gap but I also love multiple POVs and the unreliable narrator trope kept me guessing until the very last chapter. Everyone has secrets but some are much bigger and darker than others and I appreciate Nick and Grace's ability to stare into that dark with each other. The gothic horror vibes and imagery were immaculate and I'm excited to see how they continue in book two after that last revelation. I'm a huge sucker for a good mortuary/funeral home related story as well and this one did not disappoint!
This was an ARC via NetGalley.
February 28, 2026
Okay so the story was interesting but the cover and the story didn’t match up for me. I think I was expecting (I went in blind) horror but it seemed more gothic romance with some thriller aspect to it. I also didn’t expect it to be as spicy as it was. Idk, I think if my parents just died the last thing I’d want to do is go and start working at a funeral home. Overall the story was still good just wasn’t what I thought it would be.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The imagery in "Sour Rot" paints a beautifully macabre portrait of devotion and decay. After fleeing the Dales, Grace finds refuge in the Crowthorn funeral home owned by Nicholas. Amidst the dead the romance doesn't bloom, it festers and its fruits ripening into something unsettling.
The romance is very fast-paced 🌶️
The romance is very fast-paced 🌶️
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I wanted to love this so much more than I did. Unfortunately this was one of those times when the premise sounds fantastic and intriguing, but the execution is lacking. I loved the cover! It's what originally drew me in. I really did like her writing style and thought she had gorgeous prose. It was very unique with a vintage vibe. However, it was also very off-putting in a contemporary setting. I also felt like it needed to be longer. Everything felt very shallow and surface level. There was no time for any kind of development. Another issue was, for being a romance, the whole thing was very unromantic. They hardly knew each other, so their love felt very unbelievable.
February 21, 2026
⭐ 4-4.5
Spice Scale: 🌶️
Sour Rot is an atmospheric gothic horror-romance wrapped in toxicity and rot. The fog, the rain, the old manors, and the funeral home that they work in, really worked into the whole gothic horror romance vibe!!! Well, it’s like a twisted modern day gothic because you still have the technologies of today while having the gothic vibes of a Victorian Era.
Grace is a very complex woman. At first we think of her as someone who is naive and childlike with her appearance but her mannerisms are that of someone who is older. She has a darkness that has been festering in her because of how her parents have ‘raised’ her.
Nick is twenty years older than Grace, and his feelings for her add to the toxic energy of this book. He is a shunned funeral director because of some dark rumors that have been spreading amongst the funeral community.
Some of my favorite excerpts from the book:
“I can do this, I told myself. Like the dead, I will appear normal to the naked eye. I will hide the rot inside behind this facade. For a short time, I will fool people that I am normal.”
My thoughts:
She feels as if she is an outsider all the time because she doesn’t know where she belongs. She has a darkness within her that she doesn’t know will be accepted by her friends.
“Was that all I would ever be to him? I wanted him to want me. To desire me. My mind wandered, agonised, while Dorian prattled on. My eyes narrowed on something floating in the glass of champagne he held aloft. It danced in the fluid, writhing. Was it… was it a worm? The kind I saw on rotting fruit? A parasite?”
My thoughts:
I love when Grace starts imagining things because it shows her inner conflict and the way her psyche begins to fracture. There is this inner shame that she should never really have what she wants because she doesn’t deserve it. That she is rotten inside for wanting to grow into a new person. Just like the fig tree back at her childhood home.
“The orangery came into view. The fig tree hunched against the glass. I wanted to tear it down, uproot it with my bare hands if I had to.”
My thoughts:
To me this was really powerful of her to imagine. Grace has a tragic past and she is admitting that she wants to take control of how that past is manipulating her present self. What her parents did to her makes her feel as if she doesn’t belong, that she needs to stay the same just for the sake of her past, even though her parents are long dead. Grace also doesn’t want to be reminded of her upbringing because of how much pain it has brought her and how it has shaped her darkness.
WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR:
-Those who can handle a toxic romance. Grace is TWENTY YEARS younger than Nick. Grace is twenty-one by the way.
-Want a gothic atmospheric book with a modern day twist.
-A book that will make you think why is she seeing all this rotting fruit? Seeing the hidden meanings behind one's psyche.
WHO THIS BOOK ISN’T FOR:
-Those who don’t like groomers because yeah Nick basically groomed Grace to be who he wanted her to be. He even mentions that that is basically what he is doing but I read the description so I knew what I was getting into. The parts where Nick described Grace as a child gave me the ick (honestly his whole mindset around Grace gave me the ick) but I was intrigued with the mystery and spiraling darkness of this romance.
-People who don’t want to think when reading and just want entertainment. I read for entertainment most of the time but this time I became someone who was trying to figure out if Nick and Grace were being haunted by real ghosts or just the ghosts of their past.
-PEOPLE WHO DONT READ THE SYNOPSIS OF A BOOK OR THE CONTENT WARNINGS this book will literally take you for a ride if you don't read them. 🤣
-People who think in black and white. The psychology of this book is very morally gray. The actions though? Not so much. 👀
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Spice Scale: 🌶️
Sour Rot is an atmospheric gothic horror-romance wrapped in toxicity and rot. The fog, the rain, the old manors, and the funeral home that they work in, really worked into the whole gothic horror romance vibe!!! Well, it’s like a twisted modern day gothic because you still have the technologies of today while having the gothic vibes of a Victorian Era.
Grace is a very complex woman. At first we think of her as someone who is naive and childlike with her appearance but her mannerisms are that of someone who is older. She has a darkness that has been festering in her because of how her parents have ‘raised’ her.
Nick is twenty years older than Grace, and his feelings for her add to the toxic energy of this book. He is a shunned funeral director because of some dark rumors that have been spreading amongst the funeral community.
Some of my favorite excerpts from the book:
“I can do this, I told myself. Like the dead, I will appear normal to the naked eye. I will hide the rot inside behind this facade. For a short time, I will fool people that I am normal.”
My thoughts:
She feels as if she is an outsider all the time because she doesn’t know where she belongs. She has a darkness within her that she doesn’t know will be accepted by her friends.
“Was that all I would ever be to him? I wanted him to want me. To desire me. My mind wandered, agonised, while Dorian prattled on. My eyes narrowed on something floating in the glass of champagne he held aloft. It danced in the fluid, writhing. Was it… was it a worm? The kind I saw on rotting fruit? A parasite?”
My thoughts:
I love when Grace starts imagining things because it shows her inner conflict and the way her psyche begins to fracture. There is this inner shame that she should never really have what she wants because she doesn’t deserve it. That she is rotten inside for wanting to grow into a new person. Just like the fig tree back at her childhood home.
“The orangery came into view. The fig tree hunched against the glass. I wanted to tear it down, uproot it with my bare hands if I had to.”
My thoughts:
To me this was really powerful of her to imagine. Grace has a tragic past and she is admitting that she wants to take control of how that past is manipulating her present self. What her parents did to her makes her feel as if she doesn’t belong, that she needs to stay the same just for the sake of her past, even though her parents are long dead. Grace also doesn’t want to be reminded of her upbringing because of how much pain it has brought her and how it has shaped her darkness.
WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR:
-Those who can handle a toxic romance. Grace is TWENTY YEARS younger than Nick. Grace is twenty-one by the way.
-Want a gothic atmospheric book with a modern day twist.
-A book that will make you think why is she seeing all this rotting fruit? Seeing the hidden meanings behind one's psyche.
WHO THIS BOOK ISN’T FOR:
-Those who don’t like groomers because yeah Nick basically groomed Grace to be who he wanted her to be. He even mentions that that is basically what he is doing but I read the description so I knew what I was getting into. The parts where Nick described Grace as a child gave me the ick (honestly his whole mindset around Grace gave me the ick) but I was intrigued with the mystery and spiraling darkness of this romance.
-People who don’t want to think when reading and just want entertainment. I read for entertainment most of the time but this time I became someone who was trying to figure out if Nick and Grace were being haunted by real ghosts or just the ghosts of their past.
-PEOPLE WHO DONT READ THE SYNOPSIS OF A BOOK OR THE CONTENT WARNINGS this book will literally take you for a ride if you don't read them. 🤣
-People who think in black and white. The psychology of this book is very morally gray. The actions though? Not so much. 👀
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 20, 2026
I absolutely devoured Sour Rot and loved it from the first chapter and it absolutely killed me to finish it! While it technically exists in the modern age, that detail fades quickly into the background as the only modern reference is to a cellphone. The story feels timeless, soaked in old grief, old sins, and a darkness that feels inherited rather than current. Lily Grace writes with a gothic sensibility that gives the novel a preserved quality, like something carefully exhumed and held with care instead of rushed into the light.
This book is deeply preoccupied with death. Death as ritual, as familiarity, and as something that lingers in rooms long after the body is gone. The FMC, Grace, has a fascination with it feels intimate and shaped by experience rather than curiosity. There’s an unsettling ease in the way she moves through death, as if it’s something she understands instinctively. The dead feel present throughout the story, as possible specters, but mostly as weight. As something you can feel pressing down on every scene.
The MMC, Nicholas, exists entirely within that space. As a funeral director, his life revolves around quiet care, routine, and reverence for what remains. The funeral home where he lives and works reflects that same tension. The exterior of the old London Victorian mansion is grand with gardens left wild at their edges. Inside, it feels watchful. Heavy. Like the walls are holding their breath. The house carries history and many secrets, and you feel that pressure in every hallway and behind every closed door.
The atmosphere is suffocating in the best way as dread builds slowly through silence, and the sense that something is being carefully managed at all times. The tension lives in what isn’t said and what is yet to be revealed. I felt uneasy even during moments of calm, the way you do when you’re sitting in a quiet room and can tell something terrible has already happened there. The writing trusts the reader to sit in that discomfort and lets it deepen naturally until it is unbearable.
The tone reminded me strongly of Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak, with its beautiful architecture hiding rot beneath the surface, and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Telltale Heart, in the way guilt and obsession pulse quietly under everything, growing louder the longer they’re ignored. There’s a constant sense of pressure, of secrets pressing outward, of the past refusing to stay quiet no matter how carefully it’s contained.
The balance between atmosphere, character, and plot is strong. The characters feel shaped by the spaces they inhabit, and the story unfolds with a sense of inevitability that kept pulling me forward. I kept reading deep into the night, completely caught in its grip. It honestly killed me to finish this book.
My only real critique is that there were a few moments where Nicholas’s actions or emotional shifts felt a bit out of character, or where his growth happened too quickly and felt abrupt. It pulled me out of the moment for a second, like a misstep during a funeral procession, noticeable but not enough to derail the story.
I was also a little thrown off by how quickly Grace lusted for Nick. I think the story would have benefited from letting that attraction grow more slowly as she came to know him, especially given how much tension and atmosphere the book already does so well.
By the end, I felt haunted. The story lingered with me in that way only the best unsettling horror does, leaving behind a chill and a need to sit quietly with it. 🪦
❤️ A huge thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the ARC through NetGalley
This book is deeply preoccupied with death. Death as ritual, as familiarity, and as something that lingers in rooms long after the body is gone. The FMC, Grace, has a fascination with it feels intimate and shaped by experience rather than curiosity. There’s an unsettling ease in the way she moves through death, as if it’s something she understands instinctively. The dead feel present throughout the story, as possible specters, but mostly as weight. As something you can feel pressing down on every scene.
The MMC, Nicholas, exists entirely within that space. As a funeral director, his life revolves around quiet care, routine, and reverence for what remains. The funeral home where he lives and works reflects that same tension. The exterior of the old London Victorian mansion is grand with gardens left wild at their edges. Inside, it feels watchful. Heavy. Like the walls are holding their breath. The house carries history and many secrets, and you feel that pressure in every hallway and behind every closed door.
The atmosphere is suffocating in the best way as dread builds slowly through silence, and the sense that something is being carefully managed at all times. The tension lives in what isn’t said and what is yet to be revealed. I felt uneasy even during moments of calm, the way you do when you’re sitting in a quiet room and can tell something terrible has already happened there. The writing trusts the reader to sit in that discomfort and lets it deepen naturally until it is unbearable.
The tone reminded me strongly of Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak, with its beautiful architecture hiding rot beneath the surface, and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Telltale Heart, in the way guilt and obsession pulse quietly under everything, growing louder the longer they’re ignored. There’s a constant sense of pressure, of secrets pressing outward, of the past refusing to stay quiet no matter how carefully it’s contained.
The balance between atmosphere, character, and plot is strong. The characters feel shaped by the spaces they inhabit, and the story unfolds with a sense of inevitability that kept pulling me forward. I kept reading deep into the night, completely caught in its grip. It honestly killed me to finish this book.
My only real critique is that there were a few moments where Nicholas’s actions or emotional shifts felt a bit out of character, or where his growth happened too quickly and felt abrupt. It pulled me out of the moment for a second, like a misstep during a funeral procession, noticeable but not enough to derail the story.
I was also a little thrown off by how quickly Grace lusted for Nick. I think the story would have benefited from letting that attraction grow more slowly as she came to know him, especially given how much tension and atmosphere the book already does so well.
By the end, I felt haunted. The story lingered with me in that way only the best unsettling horror does, leaving behind a chill and a need to sit quietly with it. 🪦
❤️ A huge thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the ARC through NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“What’s a little death, in the funeral business?”
This book absolutely consumed me in the best way possible.
The writing alone is gorgeous. It’s dark, lush, gothic, atmospheric and so immersive that reading Sour Rot felt like I was sinking into a beautifully haunted dream. Every page felt intentional, steeped in mood, symbolism and quiet menace. It was the kind of book that really made me slow down just to savour every little detail.
I LOVE a taboo dynamic done well, and the age gap mixed with this teacher/boss and student/employee relationship delivered the most delicious and uncomfortable romance I’ve read in a while. The chemistry between the characters was electric from the very beginning. It was truly thick with yearning, restraint, and emotional vulnerability. Their connection felt deeply psychological. For Grace it was about being seen and given a world she’s never had access to, and for Nick it was about grief, nostalgia, and a protective instinct that was rooted in loss. The amount that they both had to lose, and the tension had me bracing for emotional devastation the whole time… and I loved that feeling.
The opening is extremely detailed, and sometimes it felt like a little bit of a slog to get through. There was a lot of weight put on processes and making sure that as the reader we fully understood the characters and the kind of environment that they were in, which was fun on one hand, but did get a little bit tedious. I was worried that it might become repetitive, but the payoff in atmosphere and suspense made it worth while.
Every little detail that unfurled about Nicks backstory, especially surrounding the house fire was INSANE. Every revelation felt like a slap to the face, and the book was packed with subtle clues, unsettling inconsistencies, and lots of details that hinted at something deeply sinister happening behind everything else. It was palpable that both Grace and Nick were hiding a lot of key details about themselves and their pasts, and the tension of waiting to uncover what that was really kept me hooked the whole way through.
The final stretch of the book with Tom, Louisa, Grace and Nick was utterly unputdownable for me. I tore through those chapters, and was desperate to find out more until the very end. Watching everything unravel was fascinating. Seeing Nick and Grace come out the other side of everything with closure and a fragile happy ending felt so well earned and tender.
Overall? An absolutely phenomenal gothic romance thriller that I’ll be telling everyone I know to read!
It was dark, atmospheric, emotionally layered, full of tension and mystery and trauma. There was desire and slow burn in spades, and I loved how the romance sometimes steeped aside to let the suspense and psychological drama take centre stage. It made everything feel so much more believable and intense.
This book absolutely consumed me in the best way possible.
The writing alone is gorgeous. It’s dark, lush, gothic, atmospheric and so immersive that reading Sour Rot felt like I was sinking into a beautifully haunted dream. Every page felt intentional, steeped in mood, symbolism and quiet menace. It was the kind of book that really made me slow down just to savour every little detail.
I LOVE a taboo dynamic done well, and the age gap mixed with this teacher/boss and student/employee relationship delivered the most delicious and uncomfortable romance I’ve read in a while. The chemistry between the characters was electric from the very beginning. It was truly thick with yearning, restraint, and emotional vulnerability. Their connection felt deeply psychological. For Grace it was about being seen and given a world she’s never had access to, and for Nick it was about grief, nostalgia, and a protective instinct that was rooted in loss. The amount that they both had to lose, and the tension had me bracing for emotional devastation the whole time… and I loved that feeling.
The opening is extremely detailed, and sometimes it felt like a little bit of a slog to get through. There was a lot of weight put on processes and making sure that as the reader we fully understood the characters and the kind of environment that they were in, which was fun on one hand, but did get a little bit tedious. I was worried that it might become repetitive, but the payoff in atmosphere and suspense made it worth while.
Every little detail that unfurled about Nicks backstory, especially surrounding the house fire was INSANE. Every revelation felt like a slap to the face, and the book was packed with subtle clues, unsettling inconsistencies, and lots of details that hinted at something deeply sinister happening behind everything else. It was palpable that both Grace and Nick were hiding a lot of key details about themselves and their pasts, and the tension of waiting to uncover what that was really kept me hooked the whole way through.
The final stretch of the book with Tom, Louisa, Grace and Nick was utterly unputdownable for me. I tore through those chapters, and was desperate to find out more until the very end. Watching everything unravel was fascinating. Seeing Nick and Grace come out the other side of everything with closure and a fragile happy ending felt so well earned and tender.
Overall? An absolutely phenomenal gothic romance thriller that I’ll be telling everyone I know to read!
It was dark, atmospheric, emotionally layered, full of tension and mystery and trauma. There was desire and slow burn in spades, and I loved how the romance sometimes steeped aside to let the suspense and psychological drama take centre stage. It made everything feel so much more believable and intense.
February 17, 2026
Book Review: Sour Rot by Lily A. Grace
Rating: 4 Stars
There’s something utterly intoxicating about the way Sour Rot creeps under your skin—a gothic tale that smells faintly of decay, longing, and dark devotion. Imagine if Jane Eyre took a twisted stroll through an American Horror Story episode, set against the foggy backdrops of Yorkshire and London. That’s the eerie, elegant world Lily A. Grace invites you into with her debut novel.
At the heart of this story is Grace Lockett, a complex young woman haunted by loss and drawn to shadows. After the death of her parents, she escapes her crumbling cottage for a somber apprenticeship at a funeral home, where the enigmatic Nicholas Crowthorne reigns. Nicholas, brooding and mysterious, sees in Grace a reflection of his late fiancée Louisa—an echo that both entices and unsettles him. Their connection is electric but toxic; a dance of desire and darkness that slowly reveals secrets buried beneath layers of grief and corruption.
Grace’s journey isn’t just one of love, but also of identity and survival in a world where passion is lethal and devotion festers like rot in the soil. The narrative pulses with tension, weaving together themes of death, madness, and forbidden longing in a modern setting painted with rich, nostalgic hues. Dual perspectives deepen the experience, allowing readers to inhabit the minds of both Grace and Nicholas as they spiral into their dangerous liaison.
Now, I’m not usually drawn to romance novels, but Sour Rot defies the clichés with its perfect balance of gothic atmosphere, horror elements, and emotional depth. The writing is lush yet precise, the characters flawed but compelling, and the plot delivers just the right amount of drama and twists to keep you hooked without overwhelming the story’s somber beauty.
And let’s not overlook that cover—dark and mysterious, it sets the tone before you even turn the first page.
If you’re looking for a book that melds ghostly romance with subtle horror—an intoxicating brew of sorrow, passion, and decay—Sour Rot is a phenomenal debut you won’t want to miss. It earns a solid four stars from me: a haunting read that lingers long after the last page, with just enough darkness to satisfy without tipping into despair.
In short: A beautifully written gothic horror romance with a funeral home backdrop, complex characters, and a story that’s as darkly captivating as it is sorrowful. Highly recommended for those who crave romance with bite—and a little bite to romance.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
Rating: 4 Stars
There’s something utterly intoxicating about the way Sour Rot creeps under your skin—a gothic tale that smells faintly of decay, longing, and dark devotion. Imagine if Jane Eyre took a twisted stroll through an American Horror Story episode, set against the foggy backdrops of Yorkshire and London. That’s the eerie, elegant world Lily A. Grace invites you into with her debut novel.
At the heart of this story is Grace Lockett, a complex young woman haunted by loss and drawn to shadows. After the death of her parents, she escapes her crumbling cottage for a somber apprenticeship at a funeral home, where the enigmatic Nicholas Crowthorne reigns. Nicholas, brooding and mysterious, sees in Grace a reflection of his late fiancée Louisa—an echo that both entices and unsettles him. Their connection is electric but toxic; a dance of desire and darkness that slowly reveals secrets buried beneath layers of grief and corruption.
Grace’s journey isn’t just one of love, but also of identity and survival in a world where passion is lethal and devotion festers like rot in the soil. The narrative pulses with tension, weaving together themes of death, madness, and forbidden longing in a modern setting painted with rich, nostalgic hues. Dual perspectives deepen the experience, allowing readers to inhabit the minds of both Grace and Nicholas as they spiral into their dangerous liaison.
Now, I’m not usually drawn to romance novels, but Sour Rot defies the clichés with its perfect balance of gothic atmosphere, horror elements, and emotional depth. The writing is lush yet precise, the characters flawed but compelling, and the plot delivers just the right amount of drama and twists to keep you hooked without overwhelming the story’s somber beauty.
And let’s not overlook that cover—dark and mysterious, it sets the tone before you even turn the first page.
If you’re looking for a book that melds ghostly romance with subtle horror—an intoxicating brew of sorrow, passion, and decay—Sour Rot is a phenomenal debut you won’t want to miss. It earns a solid four stars from me: a haunting read that lingers long after the last page, with just enough darkness to satisfy without tipping into despair.
In short: A beautifully written gothic horror romance with a funeral home backdrop, complex characters, and a story that’s as darkly captivating as it is sorrowful. Highly recommended for those who crave romance with bite—and a little bite to romance.
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
February 17, 2026
I loved every element this author chose to include in this gothic horror-romance, but the execution really detracted from the whole experience. I wanted a "Crimson Peak" retelling, but this was not it.
2.5⭐️
For starters, I was browsing NetGalley and absolutely love the title and the cover design. I'm delighted to have been approved to ARC this book and was able to make it to the end. But the reading experience was very difficult at times. Please check trigger warnings if you're interested in checking this out, as it does cover some dark themes. On that topic, I felt that the author could have benefitted from a more delicate approach to topics like m**der, r@pe, child abuse, neglect, and arson. I personally do not find it triggering to read dark books, but there is a certain level of tact that I felt was lacking here. There is a way to include dark themes and have it be explored with great respect throughout the narrative, rather than as a salacious add-on. It's like the difference between a DailyMail article and a ProPublica one.
In the first several chapters, I had legitimately thought it took place in Victorian-era England (which would have done so many favors for the narrative). Alas, it is a modern day gothic romance, complete with computers, elevators, yet not one single cell phone? The setting truly lends itself to the genre. Lily A. Grace does a magnificent job in creating a gloomy, gothic atmosphere that I couldn't help likening to a version of Guillermo del Toro's 2015 classic "Crimson Peak" with Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska.
While I wanted so desperately to love Grace, the FMC, she was pretty insufferable. She is told on-page by her love interest, Nicholas, and his housekeeper, Maggie, that she is an old soul. But, her actions are contradictory, flighty, and juvenile. She acts much younger than 21, which is problematic since Nicholas is in his 40's and--as other reviewers have noted--frequently remarks on her youth in a way that is both infantilizing and fetishizing. That is a combination that doesn't work for me.
I'm glad to have given this book a fair shot, and I think that working with a developmental editor would do this author a lot of favors.
I received an e-book copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for sharing.
2.5⭐️
For starters, I was browsing NetGalley and absolutely love the title and the cover design. I'm delighted to have been approved to ARC this book and was able to make it to the end. But the reading experience was very difficult at times. Please check trigger warnings if you're interested in checking this out, as it does cover some dark themes. On that topic, I felt that the author could have benefitted from a more delicate approach to topics like m**der, r@pe, child abuse, neglect, and arson. I personally do not find it triggering to read dark books, but there is a certain level of tact that I felt was lacking here. There is a way to include dark themes and have it be explored with great respect throughout the narrative, rather than as a salacious add-on. It's like the difference between a DailyMail article and a ProPublica one.
In the first several chapters, I had legitimately thought it took place in Victorian-era England (which would have done so many favors for the narrative). Alas, it is a modern day gothic romance, complete with computers, elevators, yet not one single cell phone? The setting truly lends itself to the genre. Lily A. Grace does a magnificent job in creating a gloomy, gothic atmosphere that I couldn't help likening to a version of Guillermo del Toro's 2015 classic "Crimson Peak" with Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska.
While I wanted so desperately to love Grace, the FMC, she was pretty insufferable. She is told on-page by her love interest, Nicholas, and his housekeeper, Maggie, that she is an old soul. But, her actions are contradictory, flighty, and juvenile. She acts much younger than 21, which is problematic since Nicholas is in his 40's and--as other reviewers have noted--frequently remarks on her youth in a way that is both infantilizing and fetishizing. That is a combination that doesn't work for me.
I'm glad to have given this book a fair shot, and I think that working with a developmental editor would do this author a lot of favors.
I received an e-book copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for sharing.
January 30, 2026
“All I needed or ever wanted it with him. Our parties. The cold, wet soiled this exquisite death.”
as a girlie who loves to read gothic themed romances this is as so good, addictive and beautiful. everything about this book consumed me like sour rot. there’s so many things i could say about this book but it has definitely altered my brain chemistry in such a good way.
it truly felt like a gothic romance book so much so i forgot that it was set in modern day times, aside from the fact that grace had a cell phone and would sometimes use it.
who knew death could be written so beautifully. the details are so intricate and descriptive that you have to stop and think about what you’re actually reading.
every character in the book is haunted by something of there past which made them seem to be alone interconnected with a darkness that was peculiar.
the depiction of love and seduction is beautiful captured in gothic styled writing. it’s so alluring and taboo in just all the right ways. they way that it’s dual pov and you get to see what grace and nick are thinking about one another. the banter, and the way they long for each other have me goosebumps every time.
the intro was slow but gradually built into the story and then the details all seemed to make sense at once instead of being an information overload. one think that kind of bothered me some times was when they kept saying how young she was how inexperienced and child like she was, made me kind of cringe sometimes, but that’s just a personal opinion!
the ending and the way nicks past came to actually physically come back to haunting was something i figured was going to happen and kind of waited for it to happen but when it did it made my jaw drop.
how everything came full circle, tom, louisa, and grace and nick was tragically beautiful. because lovers who commit murder together stay together.
“My complicated husband, I love the darkness in you”
i loved how unafraid of death grace was and how at ease she was to being in the mortuary.
overall a phenomenal read and it has everything anyone could want, gothic themes and romance, thriller and dark themes and sensual atmosphere!
thanks to netgalley for letting me have this beautiful book arc and to the author Lily A. Grace
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“My story starts, naturally, with death.”
I loved the premise - a secluded daughter escapes her farm life following the death of her mother and begins an apprenticeship under the tutelage of an enigmatic funeral director in a modern gothic romance.
There were definitely elements I enjoyed: the hints into both Grace and Nicholas’ pasts, the malice of side characters, the mysteries unraveling over the course of the story.
Certain points even felt like nods towards the gothic classics, like Jane Eyre and Rebecca, which I appreciated. And, of course, symbolism is key in any good gothic and the recurring theme of rotting figs hit this mark!
“The fig itself felt like a spectre from my recent past, reminding me that I could never quite leave the dales behind.”
The biggest hitch for me was the repetitive comparison of Grace to a child, and frequent mention of her childlike stature and attributes. If this was used as a literary device, with either a different character or not in the context of a romance, I could have been more comfortable with it. However, it felt more as though it was trying to explain Nicholas’ attraction to her perceived innocence and naïveté, which comes off as uncomfortable when viewed through the lens of a romantic interest (and was such a recurring theme). It was very difficult to move past that discomfort and it made the love interest appear predatory. Drawing attention to the power imbalance made sense in the context, but specifically the repetitive comparisons of Grace to a child made me quite uncomfortable.
Because of this, I’m torn on how to rate this book. I did enjoy the story, plot points, and mysteries, but I struggle to move past my concerns surrounding the MMC. I think I would have thoroughly enjoyed this story if not for that one aspect, but unfortunately it was a big one, which leads me to settle on a 3 star rating.
“We were all bound to be peculiar fruit. Some thrive, while others fester...that just seems to be the way of things.”
*Disclaimer: I was generously provided with an advance copy via NetGalley. However, all viewpoints expressed above are my own!
I loved the premise - a secluded daughter escapes her farm life following the death of her mother and begins an apprenticeship under the tutelage of an enigmatic funeral director in a modern gothic romance.
There were definitely elements I enjoyed: the hints into both Grace and Nicholas’ pasts, the malice of side characters, the mysteries unraveling over the course of the story.
Certain points even felt like nods towards the gothic classics, like Jane Eyre and Rebecca, which I appreciated. And, of course, symbolism is key in any good gothic and the recurring theme of rotting figs hit this mark!
“The fig itself felt like a spectre from my recent past, reminding me that I could never quite leave the dales behind.”
The biggest hitch for me was the repetitive comparison of Grace to a child, and frequent mention of her childlike stature and attributes. If this was used as a literary device, with either a different character or not in the context of a romance, I could have been more comfortable with it. However, it felt more as though it was trying to explain Nicholas’ attraction to her perceived innocence and naïveté, which comes off as uncomfortable when viewed through the lens of a romantic interest (and was such a recurring theme). It was very difficult to move past that discomfort and it made the love interest appear predatory. Drawing attention to the power imbalance made sense in the context, but specifically the repetitive comparisons of Grace to a child made me quite uncomfortable.
Because of this, I’m torn on how to rate this book. I did enjoy the story, plot points, and mysteries, but I struggle to move past my concerns surrounding the MMC. I think I would have thoroughly enjoyed this story if not for that one aspect, but unfortunately it was a big one, which leads me to settle on a 3 star rating.
“We were all bound to be peculiar fruit. Some thrive, while others fester...that just seems to be the way of things.”
*Disclaimer: I was generously provided with an advance copy via NetGalley. However, all viewpoints expressed above are my own!
January 24, 2026
Sour Rot starts out grimly with MC, Grace Lockett, losing her mother. While at her wake, a neighbor gives her information about a funeral home looking for an apprentice. Looking for a way to escape the small northern UK town, she immediately flees to London to apply. She arrives in the middle of the night where she is greeted by a bewildered Nicholas Crowthorn who immediately takes her in. The beginning half of the book is a quite innocent gothic romance. Cozy, romantic vibes, moody setting, secret yearning for each other, and emotional slow burning tension. Then things begin to spiral as it seems both of these lovers have secrets they’re not ready to reveal, slowly derailing their seemingly put-together facades. This took a couple of surprising (and some not so surprising) turns but I found myself needing to know what would happen next either way.
I am not a romance person, and this is one of my first reads with more erotic scenes. But I did appreciate the mix of romance and thriller aspects, although I wish I had a bit more time between the eroticism and graphic descriptions of horrific details – but I suppose this juxtaposition works especially in terms of the character’s natures. I did also find the overuse of the emphasis of their age gap off-putting, an almost infantilization of Grace (despite being in her 20’s) while describing Nick as a fatherly figure and as someone she’s attracted to (despite her horrendous relationship with her father), just felt a bit icky to me at times (but again, romance is not my go-to genre so perhaps this is a normal way to be describing age gap relationships). Additionally, the prose was a bit clunky at times, mostly just the overuse of some descriptive words in a short amount of time that kind of took me out of the story sometimes.
Overall, a unique read and I will, admittedly, still be on the lookout to see what happens next in this series!
Many thanks to NetGallery, Victory Editing, & the author, Lily A. Grace, for the early e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: February 14, 2026
I am not a romance person, and this is one of my first reads with more erotic scenes. But I did appreciate the mix of romance and thriller aspects, although I wish I had a bit more time between the eroticism and graphic descriptions of horrific details – but I suppose this juxtaposition works especially in terms of the character’s natures. I did also find the overuse of the emphasis of their age gap off-putting, an almost infantilization of Grace (despite being in her 20’s) while describing Nick as a fatherly figure and as someone she’s attracted to (despite her horrendous relationship with her father), just felt a bit icky to me at times (but again, romance is not my go-to genre so perhaps this is a normal way to be describing age gap relationships). Additionally, the prose was a bit clunky at times, mostly just the overuse of some descriptive words in a short amount of time that kind of took me out of the story sometimes.
Overall, a unique read and I will, admittedly, still be on the lookout to see what happens next in this series!
Many thanks to NetGallery, Victory Editing, & the author, Lily A. Grace, for the early e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: February 14, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Sour Rot by Lily A. Grace is a dark, twisted romance story with a haunting mystery, set in London at the home of a funeral director. Our main characters contain perverse secrets that the author did a great job of revealing slowly throughout the story.
This is an age-gap romance; the MMC, Nicholas, is in his 40s whilst the FMC, Grace is 21. I don’t think that age-gap romance stories are always bad — however, they are pretty hard to pull off. In this story, the author did a decent job with this, and the entire story is corrupt in various ways so this trope fits in nicely. But, there were a few phrases that made me feel…disgusted…
…for example:
‘Nick was using that clipped, deep, yet reassuring tone that I so enjoyed. The tone of a loving father, ensuring that his child got what they needed, and not simply what they desired.’
‘The fatherly concern in his eyes made me feel small, and like I wanted to cry.’
There were a few parts like this where their relationship is described in a father-to-child-like way. I understand that the entire book is twisted and perverse, but this is weird…very weird. This stuff was uncomfortable to read.
This book is promoted as ‘gothic’ and ‘horror.’ So I was a little bit confused when there were barely any elements of gothic or horror.
Yes, there’s certainly a dark feel to the story, but this is more of a mystery — definitely not horror. When I hear gothic/horor, I think ghosts, paranormality, and, well, actually feeling SCARED. Maybe this book could pass as gothic, but it’s more of just a dark mystery romance and the way the book is promoted is misleading. However, this doesn’t take away from the book itself — it’s just different to what I expected.
What I enjoyed about the book is how easy it was to read — there was never a point where I wanted to put it down! I truly did enjoy reading this novel, and I liked the whole idea of everyone having some rot inside of them that festers beneath the surface.
The characters had depth and felt real; I personally LOVED Euginie — such a sweet character!
Overall, I give this book 3 stars. 🌟🌟🌟
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the arc! 💕
(All opinions are my own and are intended for the purpose of respectful constructive criticism!💛)
This is an age-gap romance; the MMC, Nicholas, is in his 40s whilst the FMC, Grace is 21. I don’t think that age-gap romance stories are always bad — however, they are pretty hard to pull off. In this story, the author did a decent job with this, and the entire story is corrupt in various ways so this trope fits in nicely. But, there were a few phrases that made me feel…disgusted…
…for example:
‘Nick was using that clipped, deep, yet reassuring tone that I so enjoyed. The tone of a loving father, ensuring that his child got what they needed, and not simply what they desired.’
‘The fatherly concern in his eyes made me feel small, and like I wanted to cry.’
There were a few parts like this where their relationship is described in a father-to-child-like way. I understand that the entire book is twisted and perverse, but this is weird…very weird. This stuff was uncomfortable to read.
This book is promoted as ‘gothic’ and ‘horror.’ So I was a little bit confused when there were barely any elements of gothic or horror.
Yes, there’s certainly a dark feel to the story, but this is more of a mystery — definitely not horror. When I hear gothic/horor, I think ghosts, paranormality, and, well, actually feeling SCARED. Maybe this book could pass as gothic, but it’s more of just a dark mystery romance and the way the book is promoted is misleading. However, this doesn’t take away from the book itself — it’s just different to what I expected.
What I enjoyed about the book is how easy it was to read — there was never a point where I wanted to put it down! I truly did enjoy reading this novel, and I liked the whole idea of everyone having some rot inside of them that festers beneath the surface.
The characters had depth and felt real; I personally LOVED Euginie — such a sweet character!
Overall, I give this book 3 stars. 🌟🌟🌟
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the arc! 💕
(All opinions are my own and are intended for the purpose of respectful constructive criticism!💛)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 STARS
The strongest aspect of this book is the author’s gothic, almost classical writing style. At times, I forgot the story was set in modern times, which worked well for the eerie tone. The opening especially pulled me in, hinting at mystery, history, and creeping unease. I wasn’t sure where the main character’s story was headed, but I was interested enough to keep going. The ending was predictable, though I did enjoy the big moment at the very end, which felt appropriately dramatic.
Where the book lost me was in its execution. The romantic connection happened far too quickly, to the point of being distracting. Within minutes of meeting, the main characters, Grace and Nick, were already consumed by each other, and their bond bordered on obsessive without feeling earned. Both characters are said to have major secrets, but while his reveal worked well, hers felt confusing and underdeveloped. Several of her secrets seemed added without enough background or explanation, making the story feel cluttered rather than layered. The title and repeated references to rot and a specific plant suggest deeper symbolism, but the book never clearly explains why these elements are so important, leaving the theme underdeveloped. Supporting characters suffer from the same issue. The maid plays a significant role in Nick’s life, yet her motivations and backstory are barely explored, and her fate is left unresolved. The epilogue was fine, if a bit odd, but didn’t change my overall impression.
In the end, strong atmosphere couldn’t make up for a plot that felt messy and emotionally unearned, and I wouldn’t personally recommend this to fellow readers.
I gave Sour Rot three stars, and while I can appreciate what Lily A. Grace was aiming for, it ultimately wasn’t a book I enjoyed.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The strongest aspect of this book is the author’s gothic, almost classical writing style. At times, I forgot the story was set in modern times, which worked well for the eerie tone. The opening especially pulled me in, hinting at mystery, history, and creeping unease. I wasn’t sure where the main character’s story was headed, but I was interested enough to keep going. The ending was predictable, though I did enjoy the big moment at the very end, which felt appropriately dramatic.
Where the book lost me was in its execution. The romantic connection happened far too quickly, to the point of being distracting. Within minutes of meeting, the main characters, Grace and Nick, were already consumed by each other, and their bond bordered on obsessive without feeling earned. Both characters are said to have major secrets, but while his reveal worked well, hers felt confusing and underdeveloped. Several of her secrets seemed added without enough background or explanation, making the story feel cluttered rather than layered. The title and repeated references to rot and a specific plant suggest deeper symbolism, but the book never clearly explains why these elements are so important, leaving the theme underdeveloped. Supporting characters suffer from the same issue. The maid plays a significant role in Nick’s life, yet her motivations and backstory are barely explored, and her fate is left unresolved. The epilogue was fine, if a bit odd, but didn’t change my overall impression.
In the end, strong atmosphere couldn’t make up for a plot that felt messy and emotionally unearned, and I wouldn’t personally recommend this to fellow readers.
I gave Sour Rot three stars, and while I can appreciate what Lily A. Grace was aiming for, it ultimately wasn’t a book I enjoyed.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Sour Rot is a decadent gothic romance steeped in decay, desire and quiet horror. Told through a dual POV, it follows Grace and Nicholas, two wounded souls drawn together despite a twenty-year age gap and a world determined to pull them apart. Their relationship unfolds amid rumour, violence and long-buried truths. Their love story is deliberately toxic, emotionally charged and unapologetically sensual.
After the death of her mother, Grace moves to London to begin a live-in mortuary apprenticeship at Crowthorne, an ancestral funeral home with a dark reputation. She meets Nicholas Crowthorne, the reserved funeral director haunted by devastating losses and a past he cannot escape. As Grace navigates grief and her growing attachment to Nicholas, themes of jealousy, betrayal, corruption and trauma surface. I loved how this is often symbolised through recurring imagery of rot and fruit.
Lily A. Grace crafts an oppressive, immersive gothic atmosphere that makes modern England feel strangely antique. From bleak moors to a London townhouse doubling as a funeral business, the setting never loosens its grip. The prose evokes an earlier era, perfectly suiting its eccentric and damaged characters, while the story slowly descends from tentative hope into something far darker and more unsettling.
Though the insta-lust and repeated emphasis on Grace’s youth may not work for every reader, the novel delivers exactly what it promises: a morally uncomfortable romance wrapped in mystery, horror and emotional decay. Twists involving hidden identities, past sins and graphic visceral scenes keep the tension high. Ultimately, Sour Rot shines through its atmosphere, writing and gradual slide into quiet weirdness. This is a compelling choice for readers who love gothic fiction soaked in unease, grief and beautifully written rot. Excited to see what's next in Grace and Nicholas's story!
Thank you Lily A. Grace & NetGalley for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
After the death of her mother, Grace moves to London to begin a live-in mortuary apprenticeship at Crowthorne, an ancestral funeral home with a dark reputation. She meets Nicholas Crowthorne, the reserved funeral director haunted by devastating losses and a past he cannot escape. As Grace navigates grief and her growing attachment to Nicholas, themes of jealousy, betrayal, corruption and trauma surface. I loved how this is often symbolised through recurring imagery of rot and fruit.
Lily A. Grace crafts an oppressive, immersive gothic atmosphere that makes modern England feel strangely antique. From bleak moors to a London townhouse doubling as a funeral business, the setting never loosens its grip. The prose evokes an earlier era, perfectly suiting its eccentric and damaged characters, while the story slowly descends from tentative hope into something far darker and more unsettling.
Though the insta-lust and repeated emphasis on Grace’s youth may not work for every reader, the novel delivers exactly what it promises: a morally uncomfortable romance wrapped in mystery, horror and emotional decay. Twists involving hidden identities, past sins and graphic visceral scenes keep the tension high. Ultimately, Sour Rot shines through its atmosphere, writing and gradual slide into quiet weirdness. This is a compelling choice for readers who love gothic fiction soaked in unease, grief and beautifully written rot. Excited to see what's next in Grace and Nicholas's story!
Thank you Lily A. Grace & NetGalley for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
February 12, 2026
This book is beautifully written, managed to captured the dark and gothic ambiance, as well as the small, rural town and culture where the fmc from. I love the words and sentences chosen, it’s refreshing to read that kind of writing - as someone whom English is not my first language and love classic as well, this is the kind of writing that I enjoyed - I managed to add up more word synonyms in my vocabulary, and I enjoy the slow burn in the plot, as well as the poetic way in telling and dialogues. Definitely way different from the usual dark gothic romance in the mass - this isn’t a dark and dirty, despite having some hint of smut - but just hints, more like a shy hint of them, like a YA book - which I don’t mind at all. I don’t expect any smut anyway.
As for the age gap trope, since the fmc is 21 years old, I don’t mind the big gap at all, and it doesn’t come out as uncomfortable or predator-ish at all for me. I get their connection as well as their build up in the plot, and liking those as well.
I also enjoyed how the theme of death been brought on throughout the plot. As well as can relate to some things in the story as well. I do love gothic, dark, and indeed death doesn’t scared me, and I can see past people, deeper into them, and some things in this story are interesting and hinting on those.
The poetic way of writing truly helps.
“If I admired them for just a while, I could see beyond the aspects other people find so horrifying.” - Grace
That’s one way of talking about observing the dead and death deeply yet just hinting and showing the surface of that depth beautifully.
I’m looking forward to read more of this, as the author had hinted on maybe there’ll be more of their story next.
Overall, this is such a great read for me. Maybe not for everyone, but I truly enjoyed it especially the plot and writing. 🖤
As for the age gap trope, since the fmc is 21 years old, I don’t mind the big gap at all, and it doesn’t come out as uncomfortable or predator-ish at all for me. I get their connection as well as their build up in the plot, and liking those as well.
I also enjoyed how the theme of death been brought on throughout the plot. As well as can relate to some things in the story as well. I do love gothic, dark, and indeed death doesn’t scared me, and I can see past people, deeper into them, and some things in this story are interesting and hinting on those.
The poetic way of writing truly helps.
“If I admired them for just a while, I could see beyond the aspects other people find so horrifying.” - Grace
That’s one way of talking about observing the dead and death deeply yet just hinting and showing the surface of that depth beautifully.
I’m looking forward to read more of this, as the author had hinted on maybe there’ll be more of their story next.
Overall, this is such a great read for me. Maybe not for everyone, but I truly enjoyed it especially the plot and writing. 🖤
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The author wasn't kidding when they said they had a vintage way of writing; several times, especially in the beginning, I found myself thrown at the mention of computers or cell phones or the like. It didn't bother me, though; I like that kind of writing. Writing wise, this was a smooth and easy read that I finished in one sitting.
Onto the plot.... uh. I was staring up at the ceiling last night wondering what I would say about this and I'm still not sure. That is NOT a bad thing in this instance. I just mean that the author threw several completely unexpected things my way and I'm still processing them. I enjoy when a book sits with me. This is definitely not your typical romance and the horror element comes at you fast and strong.
As to the characters themselves... the complications continue. Do I like them? Do I not? They are, at the very least, complicated and interesting and I enjoyed reading about them. I enjoyed the dual POV so that I could get both sides of the story. I think both MCs made some REALLY awful choices that I just could not get behind or excuse and I can't get into that without getting into spoiler land. I was happy with the way their story ended, though, even if I don't know quite what to make of them as people.
(I thought I'd hate the housekeeper when she started being... y'know, but I found myself siding with her a lot, lmao. I was sorry how things ended with her, but it was the only reasonable outcome.)
Overall, I actually enjoyed this book a lot. I'm not a romance reader, but like I said, I read this in one sitting. (The cover and the whole funeral business aspect of it is what drew me in.) I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for something darker and twisted.
Onto the plot.... uh. I was staring up at the ceiling last night wondering what I would say about this and I'm still not sure. That is NOT a bad thing in this instance. I just mean that the author threw several completely unexpected things my way and I'm still processing them. I enjoy when a book sits with me. This is definitely not your typical romance and the horror element comes at you fast and strong.
As to the characters themselves... the complications continue. Do I like them? Do I not? They are, at the very least, complicated and interesting and I enjoyed reading about them. I enjoyed the dual POV so that I could get both sides of the story. I think both MCs made some REALLY awful choices that I just could not get behind or excuse and I can't get into that without getting into spoiler land. I was happy with the way their story ended, though, even if I don't know quite what to make of them as people.
(I thought I'd hate the housekeeper when she started being... y'know, but I found myself siding with her a lot, lmao. I was sorry how things ended with her, but it was the only reasonable outcome.)
Overall, I actually enjoyed this book a lot. I'm not a romance reader, but like I said, I read this in one sitting. (The cover and the whole funeral business aspect of it is what drew me in.) I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for something darker and twisted.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews