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literarykitten's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Antisemitism, and Murder
fatimaelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book was devastatingly sad. There’s no getting around the fact that it centers around two murdered girls: one from the 50s, and one from the 90s. To be honest, for much of the book I was far more interested in the flashback period, where the book focused on the boarding school and the four girls’ relationship within it. The boarding school enduring what they believed to be persistent haunting, the generations of girls passing wisdom to each other in their textbooks, the delinquent students clashing with each other while only having each other to rely on — this was far more compelling for much of the book than the return to modern times. Fiona’s story really only became interesting about halfway through, because though she purportedly had a purpose (to find out what really happened to her sister, and to figure out why someone was restoring the grounds upon which her body was found), the purpose seemed non-urgent considering her sister’s murderer was in prison, and there didn’t seem to be much of a story behind the school’s restoration. Once the book picked up, though, it really did pick up. I liked the mystery surrounding Mary Hand, the ghost — the question of how real she was, what she could really do. Mary Hand’s story ended up being fairly banal: a girl birthing a supposed stillborn child out of wedlock, accusing her parents of murdering the baby, then being locked out in the cold to her death. I suppose, though, that the ordinariness of the story is the point. Too many girls had their stories end that way, their anger so great it seems impossible death would defeat it. And in fact, in many ways, death didn’t defeat these girls’ fury. Not in 1950, not in 2014, and not in the 19th century, when Mary Hand died. I liked the twist at the end, that the ghost wasn’t doing any of the killing, but if you saw her coming for you, her face masked the real killer’s. The addition of the Holocaust was unexpected but done very well, as was the handling of the police force. Initially I thought the book would be copaganda, since Fiona’s partner Jamie was part of the police department, but it became very realistic very fast by exposing the corruption of many small town (and even big city) law enforcement agencies. Beyond that, though, it truly is a sad read. It’s always incredible to think about how one decision begins a cascade of others that may result in tragedy. If Sonia hadn’t gone to her great-aunt and great-uncle’s house, if she hadn’t left early, if she hadn’t changed her ticket at the travel agency…if Helen had told more people about Tim, if Deb hadn’t gone in his car, if someone had spoken up, or done something; if powerful people weren’t granted special immunity, if terrible people weren’t allowed to go into hiding. A series of events, entirely preventable, somewhat coincidental, that hurt so many and shaped so many lives. Because of its thought-provoking nature and despite its sadness, I think the book is worth reading, and probably in the future I’ll go back and reread it to catch the little things I know that I missed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and War
chris_reads's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Torture
Minor: Sexual content
ajay913's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction and War
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was my second Simone St. James novel, and I enjoyed it quite a bit! I did prefer The Sun Down Motel, but this was still a worthwhile read.
Written in a dual timeline, The Broken Girls tells the story of Vermont in the 1950s as well as in 2014. In the 50s, we follow four girls who were sent to Idlewild Hall--a boarding school for "troubled" girls. Each girl has their own struggles and reasons for ending up at Idlewild, and they come together to support each other and protect themselves until one of them goes missing. In 2014, Fiona is a journalist whose sister's body was dumped near Idlewild Hall years ago. Her sister's murderer has been in jail for quite some time, but Fiona wonders if there isn't more to the story. At the same time, someone is trying to restore Idlewild Hall, for reasons Fiona could never imagine, as she has heard nothing but horror stories from that school. Fiona discovers long-forgotten secrets of the school that tie back to her sister, and she will stop at nothing to find the truth and justice for the living and the dead.
I love how St. James creates dual timelines that slowly begin to relate to each other and reveal more as you continue reading. I thought the four girls from the 1950s were better characters than Fiona from 2014, though I did still appreciate her motivations and character development.
This well-written mystery/thriller will keep you on your toes and make you think about what you consider "justice."
Written in a dual timeline, The Broken Girls tells the story of Vermont in the 1950s as well as in 2014. In the 50s, we follow four girls who were sent to Idlewild Hall--a boarding school for "troubled" girls. Each girl has their own struggles and reasons for ending up at Idlewild, and they come together to support each other and protect themselves until one of them goes missing. In 2014, Fiona is a journalist whose sister's body was dumped near Idlewild Hall years ago. Her sister's murderer has been in jail for quite some time, but Fiona wonders if there isn't more to the story. At the same time, someone is trying to restore Idlewild Hall, for reasons Fiona could never imagine, as she has heard nothing but horror stories from that school. Fiona discovers long-forgotten secrets of the school that tie back to her sister, and she will stop at nothing to find the truth and justice for the living and the dead.
I love how St. James creates dual timelines that slowly begin to relate to each other and reveal more as you continue reading. I thought the four girls from the 1950s were better characters than Fiona from 2014, though I did still appreciate her motivations and character development.
This well-written mystery/thriller will keep you on your toes and make you think about what you consider "justice."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Murder, and Sexual harassment
booksanddopamine's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a fine middle-of-the-road read. The two storylines didn't feel cohesive to me and the ghost seemed pointless. I also don't think the protagonist's relationship added anything. I just didn't care.
Everything wrapped up way too neatly and conveniently at the end. And I don't like when characters explain EVERYTHING. You know in movies when the bad guy divulges their entire plan and motive to the protagonist? That was this book.
Everything wrapped up way too neatly and conveniently at the end. And I don't like when characters explain EVERYTHING. You know in movies when the bad guy divulges their entire plan and motive to the protagonist? That was this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
muse692's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Murder
Minor: Miscarriage
jillie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I don’t know what Simone St. James puts in her books but i’m officially obsessed. I doubted how she would tie together the timelines but I shouldn’t have.
This one took me a little longer to get into than The Book of Cold Cases and The Sun Down Motel, but I was engrossed once I got into it. I really enjoyed the ensemble cast. The romance in this one wasn’t my favorite but it’s such a small plot point that it doesn’t really affect anything.
November 2023
This one took me a little longer to get into than The Book of Cold Cases and The Sun Down Motel, but I was engrossed once I got into it. I really enjoyed the ensemble cast. The romance in this one wasn’t my favorite but it’s such a small plot point that it doesn’t really affect anything.
November 2023
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Antisemitism, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality
exlibrissum's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
moonylovesstars's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Honestly had me on edge the whole time. And for the first time I actually felt nervous when turning off the light at night. It captured me and I think it represented trauma pretty well. But some parts just didn’t peak my interest as much. But it was a good read over all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Gore and Injury/Injury detail