Is it only a little over a year ago since I discovered Simone St. James through the fantastic book Lost Among the Living? Apparently so since then have I read a couple of her older books, and I quite enjoy her haunting tales. The Broken Girls captivated me from the first page and I enjoyed this hauntingly tragic story. As a big fan of books with dual storylines was I intrigued by both stories.

Journalist Fiona Sheridan sister was murdered twenty years previously and her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. Although it seems that the case is closed with the boyfriend being tried and convicted for the murder can't Fiona shake the feeling that something about the case is wrong. While Fiona investigates Idlewild Hall that has now been sold do we learn what happened in the 50s, through flashback chapters, at the school when one of the girls went missing...

The Broken Girls is an engaging story with an underlying feeling of paranormal. It's the paranormal vibes that make this book a bit extra thrilling to read I think. I found that I hardly could put the book down when I started to read it and I enjoyed both storylines. This is a fabulous book, very atmospheric, and I can't wait to read more from Simone St. James.

Fiona Sheridan is a freelance journalist living in small-town Vermont. Despite being the daughter of a famous journalist, Fiona's career and life have very much on hold since the murder of her older sister 20 years before. Her sister's body was found on the grounds of a defunct girl's boarding school, Idlewild. A man is in prison for the murder, but Fiona still has questions and can't let it go. Even her relationship with Jamie Creel, the police chief, and son of the chief who investigated her sister's murder is hampered by her questions and emotional distance.

Idlewild itself was a second, maybe third-rate school where families placed girls who were considered to be unmanageable. The girls were disciplinary problems; broken in some way by trauma, a little too smart for their own good, or just illegitimate. The Broken Girls switches between the story of four friends in 1950 and Fiona in 2014. One of the four friends went missing, and it was assumed she ran away with "some boy." Never mind that the girls had absolutely no unsupervised contact with the outside world. The records from Idlewild have gone missing, no one associated with the school wants to talk about it, and the school itself is rumored to be haunted. When a body is discovered in a well during a renovation of the property, the missing girl case opens up again. Fiona is determined to get answers this time.

Those of us who have waited a long time for The Broken Girls will not be disappointed. It is intricate, suspenseful, and above all, emotionally involving. I was utterly caught up in the stories of the four friends; Katie, Roberta, CeCe, and Sonia. I wanted to know what had happened to all of them, and if Fiona's quest would be successful. This blend of Gothic, mystery, suspense and ghost story is not to be missed! Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 5 Stars

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Fiona Sheridan has been wondering lately if Tim really did kill her sister 20 years ago, and she is determined to find out the truth. She learns that a mysterious woman named Margret Eden has bought the Idlewild School and intends to restore, she decides that she has to write that story as well.


In the 1950s we see story unfolding in the eyes of the girls who were at Idlewild at the time. Roberta, Sonia, Katie and CeCe. We also learn the myth of Mary Hand, and why she scares the girls so much. We also learn that these girls aren't as bad as people think and many have been sent there to cover their own families secrets not their own.


In the present Fiona gets Anthony Eden to give her a tour and talk about the restoration of Idlewild, but she knows that something more is going on at this school that scares everyone. When a body is found in the well, little does Fiona know that in trying to solve that she will finally uncover the mystery surrounding her sister.


I want to say more, but too many details would reveal spoilers and in this story I think it is important to discover link by link on your own. I couldn't stop reading this, I thought it was going to be more centered on the ghost, but little did I know that the ghost would someone tie the two murders together and expose a lot of secrets.


I have to say this though I love the girls from the 1950s and I love Fiona, I was more than a little sad to learn about who was killed in 50s and found in the present day, especially as her story was revealed piece by piece in the past and the future. But this is a beautifully written story that masterfully weaves past and the present together for unforgettable story.

I'm a sucker for Gothics. The suspense, the atmosphere, the woman-in-peril who doesn't realize at first she's in peril who then has to wiggle out of it. So it seems pretty inconceivable in hindsight that it took me until 2016 to tear through Simone St. James' entire backlist on audio. Once I was done? I was bereft. Because by that point the publication date for her upcoming novel, The Broken Girls had been delayed. Well, it's finally here and I can say it was well worth the wait.

20 years ago Fiona Sheridan's sister, Deb, was found dead. Lying in a field, near abandoned Idlewild Hall, in Vermont. Pretty, vivacious, 20-year-old Deb had been murdered by her popular, rich, boyfriend, Tim Christopher, son of the wealthiest and most important family in town. Tim was convicted, is still in prison, but Fiona is stuck. Haunted by the tragedy and the wreckage it left in it's wake. She's dating Jamie, a police officer, son of the former chief of police who worked Deb's case, and is working as a freelance journalist. When she hears Idlewild Hall has been purchased and the new owner wants to reopen it as a girls boarding school, Fiona has the excuse she needs to start digging. Naturally, she unearths a whole lot of secrets.

In 1950 Idlewild Hall was a boarding school for families to dump off their cast-off girls. Girls who were trouble. Girls who were "bad." Four such girls are roommates, become friends, and all of them witness things they can't explain. There's a ghost at Idlewild Hall, Mary Hand - who shows you things that you can't unsee. Who confronts you with your greatest fears, your darkest secrets. They all see her and one day one of the band of four disappears...without a trace.

This is a time slip novel, moving back and forth between the 1950 story and the 2014 story - St. James taking two different threads and expertly weaving them together. I'll admit to some reluctance when I heard that St. James was leaving her 1920s English settings behind to move to 1950s Vermont, but that uneasiness was quickly replaced with the uneasy feeling this book's atmosphere evokes. Folks, it's creepy. Not just the ghost stuff, but the secrets. Fiona's psyche. The truth that's lying just below the surface that eventually bubbles up and boils over. It's riveting and page-turning and I waffled between savoring every delicious word, prolonging my reading pleasure and guzzling it like a college student whipping out a beer bong.

Usually in time slip stories there's one story line thread the reader is drawn to over the other, which was not my case here. I loved the 1950 girls - the girls nobody wanted, the girls everybody underestimated, the girls who ultimately end up saving themselves and finding their own brand of justice. In the 2014 story I was drawn to Fiona's emotional turmoil, her relationship with Jamie haunted by ghosts, and her persistent digging into the secrets hidden at Idlewild.

All of St. James' books thus far feature what one would classify as "romantic elements." That's certainly the case here, given the Fiona/Jamie relationship, but I will say of all her books this one probably is the lightest in the romance department. This isn't a criticism from me, but a heads-up to readers who were drawn to some of her earlier books where the romantic arc played a bit more of a prominent factor.

If you're already a St. James fan, this is a great book. I loved it. I'm jealous of all of you who now get to read it for the first time. If you enjoy Gothics and are looking for a creepy good mystery with a light touch on the paranormal woo-woo? This is it. St. James' monsters in this book feature the unknown supernatural but also the very real, flesh-and-blood terror that only living mankind seems capable of inflicting. Don't miss it.

Final Grade = A

Murder in a Haunted Girl’s School

Fiona Sheridan, a journalist, can’t get over the murder of her sister twenty years ago. Fiona keeps going back to where her sister’s body was found in the middle of an open field at the abandoned Idlewood School. Idlewood was a school where troubled girls were sent, and it’s rumored to be haunted by Mary, the ghost of a young woman, who died years before the school was founded.

The story encompasses not only Fiona’s tragedy, but tells the story of four roommates who were at the school sixty years ago. They bonded and became each other's strength until on of them disappeared returning from a weekend to visit family. The school called her a runaway, and her body was never found, but the girls didn’t give up their belief that something terrible had happened to her.

The atmosphere at Idlewood is eerie, just right for a ghost. The description of the school, even in it’s abandoned condition can make chills run up your back.

All the girls in this story are troubled from Fiona to the four roommates. Fiona can’t break free from her sister’s tragedy until she decides to take action and write about the renovation of the school. The other four are difficult girls, but I couldn’t help liking them and rooting for them to become successful women. One, Katie, was particularly resourceful and brave.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of haunting mysteries.

I received this book from Berkley Publishing for this review.

THE BROKEN GIRLS was an amazing book, combining many elements I love: mystery, ghost story, historical fiction, dual time periods, and crime drama. I loved it – yes, it was dark and unsettling, but I was glued to the pages.

The story alternates between the early 1950s and 2014 in a tiny Vermont town. In the past, four teenage girls attend a local boarding school for troubled girls called Idlewild Hall when one goes missing; in the present, a journalist named Fiona investigates the death of her sister whose body was found on Idlewild’s abandoned property two decades earlier. Fiona agrees to write an article on the restoration of Idlewild when it’s purchased by a mysterious buyer. During renovations, a shocking discovery pulls Fiona into the unsolved case of the missing girl. Will it also lead her to answers about her own sister’s death?

This was an atmospheric and creepy read, with some definite chilling moments. Like many Gothic novels, the house, Idlewild, was a haunted, complex character itself, and the tale of its resident ghost was heartbreaking. The mystery was complicated, and I enjoyed how the well-researched historical elements were woven into it. I love Simone St. James’ storytelling, and I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes a spooky story full of emotion and depth.

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James is a well-written, fast-paced, thrill-soaked ride told in (at least) two timelines.

The book opens with a young girl being followed by someone or something in the very dark on a deserted road. Who is she? Where is she? When is she?

In 1950, four troubled girls (Katie, CeCe, Roberta and Sonia) are staying at Idlewild Hall, a home for the worst troublemakers. Each has a secret that slowly unfolds as the pages are turned. Each secret is worse than the last.

In 2014, local journalist Fiona cannot let her sister’s murder go. She can’t sleep and she can’t leave the small town where the unthinkable happened. Her sister’s murder has stopped time for both herself and her father until Fiona hears rumors that Idlewild Hall, the site of the murder, is being renovated.

Woven into all of this (as though it was not enough!) is the threat of a visit in both timelines by Mary Hand, the resident woman in black and the ghostly creature who supposedly haunts the hallways, classrooms and grounds of Idlewild.

Between the two timelines, murders, disappearances and strange happenings abound. What a fun and utterly readable book!

Rating: 92/100

Buy this book when it comes out (today! 3/20) at Barnes & Noble | Amazon | IndieBound

The Broken Girls
Simone St. James


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The Broken Girls by Simone St. James:
A Roundtable Discussion
Simone St. James is well-loved by the staff here at AAR, so we have been eagerly anticipating her new book. The Broken Girls is a dual-timeline story centered around a boarding school for the teenaged girls society has turned its back on, and the mysteries that surround those who live there. The story hops back and forth between the 1950s and present day Vermont, so fans of historical fiction definitely have something to look forward to.

In the 1950s, a group of four young women are struggling to survive life at the bleak Idlewild hall. Each longs for love and understanding, but no one has the time or the inclination to grant them that, and so these four lost, troubled souls have banded together in hopes of creating something resembling a family unit. Unfortunately, forces both earthly and supernatural threaten their very existence.

In 2014, journalist Fiona Sheridan is still struggling to come to terms with the murder of her older sister. For the past twenty years, she has tried to content herself with the fact that the responsible party is behind bars, but something has niggled at her, making it all but impossible for her to move on. When she learns that Idlewild Hall, where her sister’s body was found, is being restored by a very wealthy, anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about the school, and maybe lay some of her personal demons to rest along the way. But as Fiona begins to look into the history of the school, long-buried secrets are unearthed, secrets with the power to endanger Fiona and those she loves.

AAR reviewers Shannon, Maggie, Kristen, and Lynn got together to share their thoughts and feelings about this complex novel that blends historical fiction with supernatural intrigue.

SD: I’m a huge fan of books set around boarding schools, especially schools for troubled teenaged girls. So, when I first read the synopsis for The Broken Girls, I knew I had to read it. What originally drew your attention to this novel?

MB: What drew me to the book was the author. I’ve read all of Ms. St. James’ novels and have enjoyed every last one.

KD: I’m fascinated by the ways that society has shoved ‘troublesome’ girls into locked away spaces, but I’m also trying to expand my reading, and books with flashbacks are not usually ones I pick up, so wanted to stretch myself.

LS: I’m a big fan of the author, and I’ve enjoyed all of her books so far. For that reason, I’d already planned to give this one a whirl. However, it had so many elements (creepy and possibly haunted old property, boarding school, dual timeline) that are just like catnip for me.

SD: I haven’t read many of Ms. St. James’ previous novels, so I’m definitely no expert, but The Broken Girls had a very different feel from the few I have read. The most notable difference for me was the lack of a romance. We do see Fiona struggling with the relationship she’s in, but that relationship wasn’t the novel’s primary focus. Personally, I missed the romance angle here. What about you? Did you find this novel different from others you’ve read by this author, and if so, did those differences work for you?

MB: I found the section regarding the girls at the school contained the eloquent, chillingly atmospheric, thrillingly spooky writing I expect in one of this author’s works. Those sections went straight from the page to my imagination, creating a motion picture with rich characterizations, eerie, hair raising moments of genuine fear and completely drew me in. Fiona’s story was of no interest to me and I wasn’t really interested in her romance, which in the end proved to be more an alliance than a relationship.

KD: This is the first by this author for me, so can’t speak to changes from her other works. However, I agree with Maggie that the ‘past’ stuff was completely compelling and the present less so.

LS: I also felt that the portions of the book set in the past were by far the strongest. The 1950s plotline was a little different in tone, but did still have something of the gothic mood found in St. James’ earlier books. The modern plotline, though, read a lot more like a straight-up thriller. Well written, but I had a hard time making myself care about Fiona’s relationship. I think this is largely because as a reader, I never felt like I got a real sense of her boyfriend as a person. I did miss the romance in this book, but I loved the mystery. On the 1950s side, I felt like the author did a good job of showing how trapped the girls at the school were, and even though there wasn’t a central romance, I got sucked into the mystery and the dynamic between the friends.

SD: Let’s talk a bit about the character of Mary Hand. I’m not a big fan of ghosts, so Mary was problematic for me and I didn’t feel she added much to the overall story. Sure, the idea of the school being haunted made it kind of spooky, but I would have been just as happy if Ms. St. James had just focused on the mysteries without adding in the supernatural element. How do all of you feel about Mary?

MB: Here again I had a disconnect between the historical portions and those taking place in modern times. In the historical portions, Mary very much lent ambience to the overall aura of the school, a home for girls discarded by their families through no fault of their own. Mary in many ways reflected that herself, lending to the idea that the location itself was somehow cursed. Two of the scenes which I remember most clearly are where Mary tries to harm CeeCee, and the portion in special detention. Those segments were written with such emotion and clarity that they sent chills down my spine. On the other hand, I found it ridiculous to have Fiona scared of a ghost in modern day America. We have plenty of real monsters here and a ghost would be far from the scariest of them.

KD: Right, so I wasn’t here for Mary at all. Maggie, I see your point that she added to the atmosphere, but she took me out of the story more often than not. I would have been more compelled, I think, by a monster who was alive and directly affecting the girls than a ghost. And in the modern day? Nope. Another reason why I couldn’t really be doing with Fiona and it felt like the book was trying to do too many things.

LS: I agree with Maggie that Mary Hand absolutely fit into the 1950s plotline. Her presence helped underscore what was happening in that school. I thought she was overemphasized in the modern-day plotline, although I don’t agree that it would be ridiculous for Fiona to be scared of her. GIven Fiona’s history with that school, I can see where she would be in an emotional position to be susceptible to believe in Mary Hand. I did like how Fiona was able to bring closure to the Mary Hand story, but in the modern-day plot, a little bit of Mary went a long way.

SD: Speaking about the characters, I sometimes found Fiona difficult to deal with. I could sympathize with her need to uncover the truth about her sister’s death, but I didn’t always agree with the ways she chose to investigate. In some ways, her single-mindedness was admirable, but I also found it frustrating. I wanted her to acknowledge the good things in her own life instead of constantly living in the past. How did Fiona’s character work for you?

MB: Fiona didn’t work for me. She wasn’t looking for closure to her sister’s death; the trial should have provided that. She was looking for details and that felt petty to me. I think I would have felt differently if she had come back to town after having carved out a real life for herself but that’s not what happened. It’s like she froze in place even after they received justice and I found that very frustrating.

KD: Ladies, we are in agreement. Every time we were in present day, I found myself fighting the temptation to skim. I never understood Fiona’s deal and never found a reason to root for her. I wanted her to find the truth of the girls’ lives, but all of the other stuff that came with Fiona was a waste of time.

LS: Fiona didn’t really work for me. I don’t necessarily agree that the trial would have provided the closure she needed; I’ve practiced law long enough to know that that just doesn’t always happen. Trials very often answer the question of “who” but don’t always get to the “why” or the “how” of what happened. And sometimes a person needs those answers to make sense of things. Even so, Fiona’s justification for many of her actions just didn’t ring true and didn’t seem very focused. I did, however, get caught up in her investigation of what happened to the girls at the school.

SD: I love historical novels, and I found the parts of the book set in the 1950’s to be far more compelling than the parts set in the present. Did one timeline work better for you than the other, or did you find yourself equally invested in both?

MB: I felt that in the historical timeline the author did a much better job of creating compelling characters, a scary setting, and a riveting plot line so it was by far my favorite. The contemporary portion felt like just another ho-hum small town police procedural. I would have loved it if that had been cut in half and we would have been given more of what happened to the girls as they grew up, rather than getting that in synopsis form.

KD: YES. I believe the book would have been stronger if had been structured differently. Instead of all the alternating bits, introduce us to Fiona – eliminate half of her drama, but use her as the vehicle to the story – and then spend most of our time with the girls and really let us settle in. Then, wrap up with Fiona – because I did enjoy knowing about the final outcome, but I didn’t need to spend so much time in the present as Fiona built her case.

LS: I’ve said it earlier, but yes, the 1950s plot worked a lot better for me. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and the 1950s plotline just haunted me. However, I do think a structure similar to what Lauren Willig used in the Pink Carnation series would have worked much better. In those books, the reader would often see the modern characters at the beginning and end of the book and check in with them a few times throughout the story. However, the historical plotline took up a lot more of the action. In dual timeline books, there doesn’t have to be a 50-50 split between the two time periods.

SD: So how would you grade the book? Since it didn’t work for me nearly as well as I hoped it would, I’d have to give it a C+. There were things I liked, but the story left me feeling disappointed. What about the rest of you?

MB: My overall grade for the story is a B. I loved the concept, thoroughly enjoyed the 1950s portion of the tale and loved the characters I met in that part of the story. I think if the book had been written solely in that time period it would be an A but the contemporary portions pull it down to a B.

KD: I’m going with a C+, because I was so ugh over the contemporary bits that I would have completely skimmed them if not for this review. The 1950s parts were very good, but oooooooofta with the contemporary stuff.

LS: My reasoning is very similar to Maggie’s but I did dither over my grade a bit. I think I’ll give it a B+ because the 1950s parts of the book did haunt me so.

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James is a 2018 Berkley publication.

Now THIS is my kind of book!!


Set in Vermont, alternating between 1950 and 2014, this well rounded thriller, centers around a girl’s only school named Idlewood Hall. During the fifties, this school was where troubled girls were sent, and where a group of girls forge an unlikely and formidable friendship which would cause a rippling effect for decades to come.

Over the years, the abandoned school was nothing more than an eyesore, protecting its memories and ghosts from the outside world, its most recent claim to fame being the general location of where Fiona Sheridan’s sister was found dead over twenty years ago.

Now, in present day, 2014, someone has taken an interest in Idlewood, determined to restore the old boarding house, which only intensifies Fiona’s obsession over her sister’s death. She convinces her boss to allow her to do a story about the school's restoration for the magazine she works for. While she barely manages to conceal her ulterior motives, the restoration efforts inadvertently led to a shocking discovery, and sends her down a rabbit hole, as she searches, not only for peace of mind concerning her sister’s death, but for the answers to a decades old mystery.

This gloomy, atmospheric thriller enveloped me in its Gothic fog, keeping me utterly riveted and on the edge of my seat from the beginning to end.

The creepy aura surrounding Fiona’s investigation into her sister’s death is nail biting suspense at its finest. This is a crime drama, thriller, and chiller all rolled into one. While the haunting of Idlewood adds a deliciously spooky element to the story, what is truly haunting is the heavy toll that losing a daughter and sister had on Fiona and her family, as well as the ever present feeling of impending doom.

But, the mystery of the disappearance of one of Idlewood’s boarders during the fifties was a story that goes beyond the ghostly rumors. It is poignantly sad and infuriating tale, that slowly morphs into an inspirational and touching story of friendship and long overdue closure.

I have always been a sucker for a good ghost story, mainly because contrary to the creepy, spooky, chilling aspects of hauntings, more often than not, ghosts are quite often helpful, or asking for help from the living, to give them long sought after peace, which is a not at all frightening when you look at it from that angle. This story is no exception, but I have to tell you, this ghost story packs a powerful punch and is incredibly edgy!!

But, mostly, this story is about solving all the mysteries surrounding two very different types of crimes, with two entirely separate circumstances. The author manages to connect the past to the present fluidly, despite the stark differences in themes and urgency. While the location and Idlewood provide a physical link, it is really the power of familial love and the enduring bonds of friendship, with a little help from beyond, that brings everyone and everything together in the end.

This story is evenly paced, giving the well timed twists a great deal of power. It is very well written, and embodies everything I love about a good thriller. Overall, this was an immensely satisfying read.

Pulling out all the stars for this one! 5 stars!!
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I am not a huge ghost story reader. In fact I rarely read any ghost stories because I like being able to sleep at night.

That said, this book has been all over my social media. It’s everywhere. I saw it on Book of the Month, long before I was approached to review it and admittedly was intrigued. I made a mental note to pick it up from my library once it was available and moved on.

Then it came across my desk for review. I was open to giving it a shot, and the cover was eye catching so I agreed. In Feb it was BOTM top pick and again, it was everywhere. While I was recovering from my surgery in Feb, I was looking for something I could read quick and enjoy. So I got a jump on my March reading and started with this one.

Vermont, 1950. There’s a place for the girls whom no one wants–the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It’s called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it’s located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming–until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . .

Vermont, 2014. As much as she’s tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister’s death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister’s boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can’t shake the suspicion 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 the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past–and a voice that won’t be silenced (summary from Goodreads).

St James is a completely new author to me and I was blown away. This book had so much to recommend itself. Suspense (in spades!), romance, madness, ghosts, a murder with missing pieces. Everything.

The one thing that stood out to me above all else was the atmosphere of the novel. Fiona is grieving the loss of her sister and just can’t let it go. Personally I didn’t like aspects of Fiona’s personality, but I thought she worked incredibly well in this story. While I might not have liked her, I was still able to connect with her and feel empathy for not only her situation but her growth as a character.

I can’t really say what I didn’t like about her–maybe it was how she treated her boyfriend–or maybe it was something else but for some reason I wasn’t a huge fan of her. That said, her story was powerful and held my interest even if I didn’t like aspects of her personality. Her tenacity borders on madness, but she keeps plugging away at the mystery even if that means exploring the long and checkered past of Idlewild Hall.

Idlewild Hall reminded me of something out of a horror film. It’s basically where families send their daughters that they want to forget. It’s one step above insane asylum if you ask me. It’s rundown, creepy, and haunted by the resident ghost of Mary Hand.

Ahhhh Mary Hand, there is an old rhyme about Mary in the book. The girls all know it and she appears to each girl and shows them different things. Different haunting images. Don’t let her in. She says she wants to be your friend. But don’t let her in. It’s so unbelievably creepy but not to the point of being a horror novel which I appreciated. Though truth be told, I was totally creeped out and dreamed about Mary myself. I did have a few sleepless nights–full disclosure!

The plot of the book was unique. I liked how the ghost story and mystery coincided. The historical piece was interesting and while some of the plot points in the book were easy to spot and sort out using logic and reason, I still found myself wondering how a couple of other plot points were going to resolve. I loved how each piece unfolded and was resolved. The duel plot and time period worked incredibly well for this story and I absolutely loved it.

Let me go back to the cover for just a minute….the cover was fantastic. It hints at a gothic mystery with a hint of madness and ghosts which was exactly what this story was about. The cover was eye catching and gives readers an uneasy edge that will leave them dying to know more about the story within. I love this cover so much, it’s a perfect addition to the story.

This book met every single one of my exceptions. Now having discovered St James, I went and ordered all of her other books to start immediately. This book as wonderful and memorable. I absolutely loved it. Her style is beautiful, haunting and atmospheric. I can’t wait to read more of her novels! Get this book now. You’re welcome.

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Broken Girls by Simone St James

Kindle Edition, 336 pages
Expected publication: March 20th 2018 by Berkley
ASIN B0738KSJ8F
Review copy provided by: Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review
This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 5 out of 5

Genre: Gothic mystery, suspense, ghost story

Memorable lines/quotes: NA

I loved this book. So well written. I found this book unputdownable!!

In a remote area of Vermont, outside the small town of Barrons, a girl runs through the isolated, gloomy forest. She is running from someone or something. As the chapter continued, I could hear a Hitchcockesque soundtrack playing in my head. The prologue of The Broken Girls hooked me. I spent the rest of the book wondering who or what the girl was really running from, and worrying about the terrifying apparition.

Author Simone St. James latest novel is excellent. It is part ghost story and part mystery. Ms. St. James tells her tale in dual time periods as well as from multiple perspectives. There are a few story threads being woven together in The Broken Girls. One story is of the disappearance of Sonia, a student at Idlewild Hall in 1950. Another story is of the aftermath of the 1994 murder of Deb Sheridan, whose body was found at Idlewild long after the school had been closed. Lastly, there is the present-day story of Deb’s sister, Fiona, who is still haunted by her death.

From the first page to the last, this book was absolutely chilling! The constant sense of dread and foreboding had me on the edge of my seat. Ms. St. James’ historical research of events influencing a main character/storyline is apparent, and the resulting realism creates an eeriness to her tale. The book features the girls who roomed in Clayton 3C at Idlewild Hall. Sonia, CeCe, Roberta and Katie’s individual histories, which has landed them in the God-forsaken school, is tragic and heartbreaking. The author’s depiction of modern-day Fiona Sheridan, a journalist, is equally heart wrenching. The ghost of Mary Hand, whose death was no less tragic than these girls’ existence, traumatizes each of the girls. Whether the story of Idlewild’s Ghost, the students of the school, or Fiona, the girls were troubled by something and silenced by a situation or a person. Fiona is so broken by her sister’s death that she can’t form solid love relationships and she can’t find the motivation to propel her career forward.

Fiona’s relationship with local policeman, Jamie Creel, seemed to almost be a convenient afterthought in the story. At first their romance seems a bit serendipitous, but as the story progresses, I seriously questioned Jamie’s motives. This relatively casual relationship becomes the catalyst that catapults The Broken Girls from mournful ghost story to paging-turning mystery. Even further in the story I was longing for Jamie and Fiona’s relationship to be a predestined dramatic love story despite how history and life in a small town was dragging them down like a pair of cement shoes.

As the story tension rises to a crescendo that could only be likened to a banshee’s cry, all the “troubled” girls in this story are forced to reckon with their own ghosts and become stronger for it. If this isn’t a story featuring “girl power”, I don’t know what would be considered one.

This Gothic suspense novel is more mystery than horror. It is a perfect choice for book clubs, with at least one published set of suggested discussion questions. The Broken Girls will appeal to fans of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I was intrigued by the description of The Broken Girls, but I didn’t anticipate how good it was going to be!

This is one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time. It takes two murders in two different generations and brings them together in a abandoned, haunted boarding school. I enjoyed the point of view chapters that switch from past to present and weave the supernatural throughout it all. I highly recommend this book!!!

This book was interesting. I liked trying to figure out two stories at the same time that intertwined. I also liked the historical fiction elements of the story, even though the history wasn’t that long ago. If you dislike ghost stories, this won’t be up your alley. But if you like mysteries and are looking for one with a bit of a twist, then I’d recommend this book. There are some solid friendship elements and relationship elements to this story too. I look forward to reading St. James’ next book.

What a great and captivating book!

One the 1950s timeline we have a group of friends who are attending a boarding school called Idlewild Hall. They are devastated to learn that one of their close friends has mysteriously disappeared without a trace and, to make matters more intriguing, the school grounds are said to be haunted.

On the 2014 timeline we have Fiona, whose sister was murdered twenty years ago and dumped on Idlewild. Fiona is still struggling with her sister's murder and she becomes unsettled when she learns those grounds are being restored. Fiona starts an investigation and we take a thrilling journey with her.

The story is narrated by multiple characters and the timeline alternates between the 1950s and 2014. I had a great time with this book, it was engaging, thrilling, and a pleasure to read.

The novel has elements of mystery, thriller, history and female friendship. Overall, I loved it and highly recommend it to readers of historical and contemporary fiction, mysteries and thrillers.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley

A Vermont boarding school known to be haunted by the ghost of Mary Hand and the site for a disappearance and a murder is going to be reopened. Journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot help becoming involved as her sister had been murdered there and she was never quite satisfied with the results of the investigation. The story alternates from the present day back to the 1950's with a story of four girls at the boarding school. The book moved well and I really enjoyed the Mary Hand part of the story--in fact I wish there was more of that; it was creepy and compelling. The other storylines were a bit of a stretch.

It’s rare for me to enjoy a book that blurs the lines between genres, sometimes books that straddle two (or more) genres read kind of messy to me but when I can find an author that manages to blend several genres in a coherent and seamless manner, well, I’m thrilled! The Broken Girls was at it’s core a mystery but it also had historical elements and just enough of the supernatural to be creepy yet plausible.

This is told in dual timelines, you have Fiona in 2014 who is a journalist with painful ties to Idelwild Hall then it also flips back to 1950 when Idelwild Hall was a school for wayward girls and you hear from four friends and roommates. Initially it had a somewhat slower start, but around the halfway point things picked up for me and I was hooked. Fiona and her backstory did reel me in early on but it took me a bit longer to become invested in the four girls, but once I was in, I was all in. Their individual stories were terribly sad and sometimes tragic but their time together at Idelwild Hall was disturbing and at times shocking.

This was an eerily atmospheric read, both narratives are set in Vermont and St. James did an amazing job at creating a hauntingly beautiful setting. The sections in the past were downright scary at times but the more recent chapters were also freaky as the school was long ago abandoned and derelict. Add in a purported ghost named Mary Hand and a handful of cold cases begging to be solved and you have the perfect combination of intrigue and fear. This was a really solid read for me from a talented writer, if you don’t mind a small dose of the supernatural in your mysteries then you should check this one out!

The Broken Girls in three words: Creepy, Chilling and Captivating.

I am an eclectic reader. There are several things that will draw me to a book. First and foremost is if a book is a mystery. Check, this one is. Are there supernatural undertones? Check again. This book also has multiple points of view and we bounce back and forth between time periods.

We are taken into 1950 and a place called Idlewild Hall in Vermont. Idlewild is a boarding school. This seems to be a school where girls are place when their parents don’t want them around. Considering the time period these girls were shipped off or hidden away so they would not be an embarrassment for their parents. Four of the girls become very close friends, and then one mysteriously disappears.

We are then transported to 2014. The thread that connects the past to the present is the school. In the 1950s when one of the girls goes missing the head of the school figures she has run away. This just shows how little the school administration feels about their charges. Her friends don’t believe that she ran away. They think she was murdered.

In the present time Fiona Sheridan, a journalist gets involved when someone decides to reopen the school. She is going to do a story on the place. Her connection? Twenty years before, her sister’s murdered body was found on the school’s grounds. Her sister’s boyfriend has been in prison all these years, convicted of her murder. Fiona never believed that he killed her. She is determined to find out what really happened. You just know that this is not a good idea.

If I had to choose one of the time periods as my favorite it would definitely be the past. The author made me care so much about the girls that are considered broken. Oh, did I mention the school has a ghost called Mary Hand? What is her backstory? This is what adds that exceptional creep factor. For some reason I seem to start these books at night and then can’t put them down until I finished them. The problem with this one is that is was just creepy enough to scare me whenever I heard a noise. It has been a while since I’ve read a book that has so captivated me. I have not read any of her other works but that will definitely change. There is something about the Gothic period set against the present time that seems to work. I can’t recommend this book enough. You definitely must read this book. I just wouldn’t recommend you read it at night or when it is stormy out, unless you want to have your pants scared off.

This book comes out March 20th. Be prepared.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Wow! Just wow! This is an amazing story. It starts of with a very intense first chapter and just keeps going from there. And it has it all. It's a ghost story. It's a mystery. There are twists. There's a bit of historical fiction. And there are relationships to work through. Like I said, there's a little bit of everything so it should appeal to a lot of people.

And once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. This is definitely a book you will want to block off time for because it will draw you in and it won't let go. I'm going to be adding this author to my must-read author list.