Who Would Like This Book:
If you love a twisty, atmospheric mystery with a dash of the supernatural, "The Broken Girls" will be right up your (possibly haunted) alley! This story beautifully weaves together dual timelines - 1950s and 2010s - set at a foreboding girls' boarding school, with strong themes of female friendship, resilience, and the secrets that refuse to stay buried. The ghostly presence adds just the right amount of chill, while the social commentary about how society treats "unwanted" girls gives the story real depth. This is perfect for fans of gothic fiction, cold-case mysteries, or anyone craving a gripping read with female-driven narratives and a spooky edge.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers found the book a bit slow to start, with too many storylines crowding the plot. If you prefer fast-paced thrillers with minimal supernatural elements or need a super-tight, non-branching narrative, you might not click with this one. Additionally, if you like your ghosts front and center, you may find the paranormal aspects more subdued than expected. The protagonist’s pursuit of the truth can also come across as repetitive, and not all characters are equally likeable or fleshed out.
About:
'The Broken Girls' by Simone St. James is a chilling and suspenseful novel that intertwines two timelines, one set in the post-WWII era at a boarding school for troubled girls called Idlewild Hall, and the other set in present-day Vermont. The story follows Fiona Sheridan, a journalist haunted by her sister's murder on the school grounds, as she delves into the dark history of the school and the mysteries surrounding the girls who once resided there. The novel expertly weaves together elements of murder, ghost stories, urban legends, and conspiracy, creating a captivating murder mystery with a supernatural twist.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include violence, murder, ghosts, sexual violence, mental health issues, and themes of trauma.
Has Romance?
There is a moderate level of romance depicted, primarily through Fiona's relationship, but it doesn't overshadow the main plot.
From The Publisher:
A journalist uncovers the dark secrets of an abandoned boarding school in this chilling suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.
Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants-the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the ones too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall, and local legend says the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their friendship blossoming-until one of them mysteriously disappears….
Vermont, 2014. Twenty years ago, journalist Fiona Sheridan's elder sister's body was found in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And although her sister's boyfriend was tried and convicted of the murder, Fiona can't stop revisiting the events, unable to shake the feeling that something was never right about the case.
When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during renovations links the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past-and a voice that won't be silenced….
Ratings (59)
Incredible (8) | |
Loved It (33) | |
Liked It (9) | |
It Was OK (8) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (165):
Read It (63) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (80) | |
Did Not Finish (2) | |
Not Interested (19) |
3 comment(s)
2.5 stars. It was an ok book but not just for me. Didn't find it engaging or captivating as I hoped it would. Perhaps the time jumps threw me off a bit
4.5 stars.
****4.0****
Review soon.
What can you read after
The Broken Girls?
About the Author:
Simone St. James is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Sun Down Motel, The Broken Girls, Lost Among the Living, and The Haunting of Maddy Clare. She wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school,…
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