As a cystic fibrosis (CF) pharmacist, I really appreciate the author's background as a CF patient advocate and desire to bring light to this devastating condition via a fiction novel. I think she did an excellent job integrating the patient experience in having CF and the rigor of therapies and overall treatment burden/impact on trying to live one's life. As this storyline was set before the newer CFTR modulator therapies, it highlights how many advancements in therapies have been realized in the past 12 years and what historical CF was like for those newer to CF who haven't seen the way it always used to be. There were some terminology inaccuracies that I wish I could have gotten my eyes on pre-publication (I did not get a copy until after release) and maybe helped to tighten the medical/scientific aspects a little more. That is me speaking as a well-versed healthcare provider though, and from a layperson perspective, most of these details probably wouldn't have been noticed and would not detract from the story.

Overall, I thought the book was quite long and seemed like 2 different books merged into one book. The first part was mostly focused on the historical ghosts/paranormal story and the second mostly on the modern family/CF story with a bit of the ghosts sprinkled in. I would probably have enjoyed reading 2 separate books instead...maybe leaving off with the birth of the brothers and Kevin's early health struggles before a diagnosis was received (would have been a great cliff hanger!), I think the book would also work very well as an electronic serial publication with several shorter installments, particularly as I think a book 2 is in the works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mutiny Rising Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This was a unique story, telling the ghosts' point of view. I enjoyed it and learned a little on the way.

I love haunted house stories and this one tells the story from the ghosts' perspective which I thought was great. I also learned a lot about cystic fibrosis, which was eye opening. The writing felt jumpy at times but it was overall a good book.

After quitting her job as a waitress, Mahoney Miller finds work as a housemaid for Brimfield, a prestigious U.S. castle. On her first day of the job, she trips and falls down the stairs, dying instantly. Don't worry, this is not a spoiler. It happens in the first chapter of the book. From there she meets Lorenzo and his mother Theda, also ghosts haunting Brimfield.

I'm not really sure what happened with this book. At first it started off as a haunted house story but from the perspective of the ghosts haunting the house. Then it takes a hard left and feels like it's one big advocacy for Cystic Fibrosis and mental health awareness. We follow the family that moves into the castle as they navigate through life. Their eldest daughter Samara gets pregnant at 17 and struggles with psychotic episodes and hallucinations. Her son is born with cystic fibrosis. From that point on, the ghosts of the house are pretty much forgotten. The book focuses more on the son and his battle with CF. Probably a good 3/4th of the book don't even mention the ghosts.
This book had a lot of potential, but for me it just didn't work. I think if the author had left out the storyline of the ghosts and focused the book about the struggles of this family, it would have been a much better read. The combination was just too disjointed and didn't make much sense together.

I loved this story: poignant and well plotted. Great characters and a sweet story. A lot of information about cystic fibrosis
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Amazing! I went into this book not knowing anything about the story and I loved every minute! I thought I knew how it would end but I was surprised, in a pleasant way. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I learned so much about Cystic Fibrosis what an inventive way to open more eyes to the disease.

3⭐️ - Ghosts, a witch, an American castle and unconditional love.

TW: abuse, suicide, severe depression