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 … 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….
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This was disappointing for me, all the rave reviews made me think I was in for a good spooky ride. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It wasn’t bad, just… meh.
Her books are auto-buy for me. I have loved all of St. James’ book and I would have a hard time choosing my favourite. 5 out of 5 stars!
I don’t read many ghost stories as I’m not one for scary novels, but this was recommended to me for the historical aspects, and I’m glad I gave it a chance. Simone St. James creates a paranormal mystery that honestly is more intriguing than frightening, although there were a few chapters where I would have rather not been reading at night. While I liked Fiona’s side of the story, in particular her interesting relationship with the sheriff’s son, I really enjoyed the chapters around the girls at the boarding school. Each has her own troubled personal background which we find out in small pieces rather than explaining everything at the beginning. I felt like I was participating in my own investigation, digging through past and present, physical and ethereal, slowly putting the pieces together until the big reveal at the end.
This review was first posted on kelseygietl.com
I liked it. Good characters interesting story.
great mystery!
Part ghost story, part mystery; The Broken Girls builds slowly but the payoff is well worth it.
I loved this book! It was one of those rare books that I wished would never end. St. James weaves a spellbinding story connecting events and people at a haunted Vermont boarding school between the 1950s and 2014. Every character is well developed, the plot unfolds in a most intriguing fashion with moments of real eeriness, and the end is thoroughly satisfying. Part ghost story, part mystery/thriller, the story never lets up. Unexpected twists keep the reader guessing until the last page. Interlaced throughout the story is the ghostly figure – one who fits right in with the rest of the characters. Spooky without the gore. A darn good ghost story!
This was the first book I’ve read by this author, but it certainly won’t be the last. Highly recommended!
A different read for me because I don’t usually read anything having to do with ghosts or spirits. I really like this one though. Kept me wondering what was going to happen.
I loved the characters in this book. It had just the right amount of the supernatural, in my opinion. There were stories within stories with mystery and and intrigue. I really enjoyed this book. Looked forward to getting back to it everyday.
Another book hat sounded good. The forst two pages drew me n, but after that, I kept losing interest. One I picked up and started over and over and finally gave up on. I can’t point to any glaring flaw – it just wasn’t one that caught my interest.
Great character development! Lots of twists and turns! Very unpredictable!
I enjoyed this book very much. Very good characters and a suspenseful story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW:
This book is really two stories–one told in the present and the other, better story, set in the 1950s. In the present is Fiona Sheridan, a substandard journalist with a hot young boyfriend, a sad sack father, and a murdered sister. In the past is a group of girls, tossed like garbage in a drafty, cruel boarding school in Vermont. The deaths of three girls link the timelines–Mary, who was abandoned by her family after getting pregnant out of wedlock, Holocaust-survivor Sonia, murdered by a former camp guard, and Deb, killed by her boyfriend. Three more girls, tossed aside like garbage and forgotten. Fiona investigates Sonia’s murder in the present and her friends from the boarding school spend decades tracking down her killer in the past, until eventually the two disparate probes find each other.
I enjoyed this book, but a few issues kept pulling me out of the story. It was quite poorly written–surprisingly so–and after a while, this sloppiness became distracting.
I didn’t care for the main character in the present-day story line. She never jumped off the page, nor did her backstory, she was a bad journalist, and her boyfriend was dull. The author failed to create any sympathy with her story, even though it was dramatic and should’ve been heart-rending. Perhaps she deployed all of her skills in crafting the 1950s-era story line.
The girls at Idlewild saved the book–Katie, CeCe, Sonia, and Roberta. Girls who were rejected by their families and so created their own with each other. It was a beautiful portrait of female friendship and their story was far more interesting. If I was the editor, I would’ve suggested the Fiona story line removed and the focus placed on three teenage girls trying to solve the murder of their friend. There was much potential for drama and conflict there. Fiona’s plot line added nothing to the story and it only thematically connected to Sonia’s murder. The ghost that haunts both plot lines only loosely connected to either, and seemed an unnecessary addition.
In the same vein as “Girl On The Train”, this is a mystery based partially in truth. It reads easy and smooth. Grabs you and takes you vividly into the past so much so that you can smell the mold and mildew of the buildings, and the damp earth of the graves.
Couldn’t put it down.
Part ghost story, part history lesson, part “who done it”.
Endearing and poignant characters you’ll become attached to and will hate to leave. Excellent book. Should be “movie” material for sure!
I don’t usually enjoy paranormal type books but this one was so well written and the stories of all of the characters blended together so well, I didn’t mind.
The story opens in Vermont in 1950. There is a home for wayward girls who no one wanted called Idlewild Hall. It is a bording school in the middle of nowhere. All the girls at the school believe the school to be haunted by someone named Mary Hand. They have all seen her, and Mary shows them their darkest secrets. One day, one of the girls disappears. The teachers think she has run away, but her friends know better. They are sure she has been killed, but they have no way to prove it.
Fast forward to 2014 – a young journalist named Fiona is obsessed with a case that is 20 years old. Her sister was murdered, the man is in jail, but Fiona still doesn’t have closure. She keeps revisiting the site where her sister’s body was found looking for clues. Her sister was murdered on the grounds of Idlewild Hall, which has long been closed down and rotting.
Soon, Fiona finds out that a rich benefactor has bought Idlewild and plans on restoring it to a girl’s school. Fiona contacts the new owner and tells them she wants to write a story about the school and the past. What is unearthed during the restoration starts to piece together the past of Idlewild and the missing girl, and also Fiona’s sister.
This was a good book – not great. The story was a little loose, and the events move around quickly leaving some holes in the plot. The story lines often felt undeveloped. The overall idea was great – I did have a few moments of chills since it was a ghost story – but not enough to make this into a great book.
It is a fast read, and easy to follow. I wouldn’t run out and recommend it, but overall, I think it was a fine read.
I enjoyed reading this novel and I’m looking forward to reading other books by Simone.
The Broken Girls was a clever, suspenseful mystery novel with two parallel story’s that worked well together. I might add that there were a few nights that I went to bed with the lights on after reading a few chapters.
It was a well balanced story with the right amount of scare for me!
A journalist revisits the murder of her sister when an abandoned Vermont boarding school, rumored to be haunted, is purchased. The story alternates between four Idlewood roommates in 1950 and the journalist in 2014. There were plenty of mysteries to hold my intrigue: Did the convicted boyfriend actually commit the murder? Did the new owner have a connection to Idlewood? What happened to the missing roommate? What about the ghost??? Though a little complicated in places, all of these chilling aspects eventually became more clear and finally resolved.
I don’t generally like ghost stories but I really liked this book.
Talk about heart racing! Starting with the prologue this book had me at the first page. I haven’t read a book in awhile where you get lost and your heart races and the hair on the back of your neck stands up. Being from upstate New York and hearing the stories about Vermont it’s easy to relate. I listen to the audio book and I highly recommend it. Imagine uncovering the murder of your sister 20 years later whew what a book! Now, go read it!!