I prefer her post-WWI books, but this one was good, too. The two narratives were woven together really well. The modern-day heroine was likable, although the girls from the historical timeline were possibly more intriguing, and I would have liked more of their stories. There was a "twist" that I did see coming, but the people responsible for the past and the present crimes weren't obvious from the start and went directions I wasn't entirely expecting. The ghost element felt less intrinsic to the story than in her previous books, so I could've gone either way on that. But I do really enjoy St. James' writing and always look forward to a new book from her!

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James is a mystery/thriller read that has supernatural elements to it. Told in alternating timelines from several points of view the books was still easy to follow and one that will captivate the reader on the mystery side but give chills with the ghostly elements.

In 2014, Fiona Sheridan is a journalist who was once touched by tragedy when the body of her sister was found. Her sister’s boyfriend at the time was tried and convicted of the murder but Fiona has never thought the details sounded right and has always questioned just what happened that horrific night.

When Fiona finds out that the nearby Idlewild Hall is going to be restored she decides to run a piece on the property that was once a boarding school for troubled teen girls. There have always been rumors and ghost stories flying around about the property and now with the current renovations a discovery has been made that sends Fiona’s investigation back to the past.

In 1950 at Idlewild Hall four of the troubled girls that reside at the school bond together and become friends. Katie, Sonia, Cece, and Roberta have heard about the mysterious lady in black that is supposed to haunt the grounds of Idlewild Hall but then one of the girls goes missing and the adults are writing her off as a runaway.

The writing within The Broken Girls was wonderful and it didn’t take long to become fully engrossed in the story. The changing timelines and alternating points of view were easily followed as the layers of the story unfolded. Whether one believes in ghosts or things that go bump in the night or not this is sure to be one that will still entertain readers from beginning to end. When finished I’d definitely recommend checking out the haunting mystery.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

One of my favorite types of books, a thriller book that has two plot lines going, one in the present and one in the past. Our current day plot has Fiona Sheridan and she is a journalist who has returned to her small home town in Vermont and is barely making ends meet and not quite doing the journalism she wishes she were so she goes looking for the type of story she would want to write. In 1950, in the same small town in Vermont is a girls boarding school that is meant for girls who come from all sorts of trouble.

The reader knows from the beginning of a few of the links between the past and the present, but there are more and they are discovered at just the right time! Fiona has her own past with this girls school and she is having to confront it while also finding out about the past behind this creepy school that is now abandoned.

I loved that Simone St James made this school almost a character in and of itself. We spend time in the school in 1950 when it is open as a boarding school and we go back in a few times in the present as it is old and abandoned and I could picture it both times and the school itself creeped me out!

I think of myself as a pretty hardy reader! I don't get scared too often enough that I need to put the book down, but this one creeped me out so bad! It didn't help that I was home alone, but oh goodness this one is so good it will make you shiver!

This was a totally engrossing book, and I don't want to give too much of the plot away because it's just so fun to discover as you read. (Ok, "fun" is probably not the right word... it's too dark for that.) There's a sort of double mystery going on with the boarding school student who disappears in the 1950s and then the girl who is murdered in the 1980s. The latter's sister, Fiona, is a journalist who is researching both as she works on a story about the pending restoration of Idelwild Hall. In all three timelines, Idelwild is a sinister, forbidding, menacing presence. Mary Hand, a girl who predates all of the characters, may or may not be haunting the grounds, and their experiences with her are downright creepy.

The way St. James weaves all of these girls together along with some very serious subject matter is so complex and yet it's only upon finishing that I was able to step back and see how complicated he plotting was. Part of that is because her descriptions are so vivid that I was completely sucked in. There were, of course, a fair number of female characters, but they were all distinct enough that keeping them apart was never really an issue.

So this was really, really good. The two things that kept it from 5 stars were a) the solving of the 1950s mystery required a bit too much coincidence and b) some revelations that led to the solving of the 1980s mystery were a bit slow in coming for the reader. Otherwise, this was an expertly crafted genre bending book - the mystery and suspense, the ghost story, the young women coming of age... Well done. I can't wait to read another by St. James if all her books are this good!

Not only is The Broken Girls beautifully haunting but it is beautifully written. The kind of story that can both put goose bumps on your arms and tears in your eyes. It keeps you guessing, it keeps you reading, it keeps your attention and more than anything else, it leaves you wanting more by the end.

This story is so complex in its simplicity. It is about a time when women, when girls, still didn't have a voice and were looked down upon and controlled by those both older than them and of a different gender.

It deals with grief, in all its ugly shapes, sizes and forms and makes the outcome of it all so very touching, so very wonderful in it's power of those lost girls coming together and forming their own family, their own destiny, and most of all, not sitting by and letting other dictate who and what they were suppose to be.

Told in alternating times and point of views, this was so easy to fall into. Into the story, into the mystery and into the lives of these five girls who couldn't be more different from one another in almost every way imaginable.

With a blend of historical, mystery and a slight paranormal edge, this really was a read that stood out and will be one for everyone.

My comment halfway through: Just enough mystery to keep me turning pages and just enough creepy to make me want to read it with the lights on.
This book alternates between 5 characters and back and forth from Fiona in 2014 and the four Idlewild roommates in 1950 (Roberta, Katie, CeCe, and Sonia). It did take until about halfway through the book (at least) for me to remember these names and their character traits and backgrounds. I had to keep flipping back through to remember different details. However, despite being a little annoying, it really was very fluid. I couldn’t wait to get back to 2014 and then back to 1950 and back to each character.
What appealed to me most about this book was the description about Idlewild Hall, “There’s a place for girls whom no one wants—the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good.” I felt like perhaps I could relate to these characters and I wanted to know their stories. It was a haunting story, but not necessarily because of the supernatural element of Mary. What got me was the idea of Idlewild in earlier years and the police corruption in 2014.
With 5 main characters (and many voices we don’t hear from explicitly), there is a lot to relate to. I connected with each of the roommates in empathetic ways. When this happens you hope for a satisfying ending and while I do feel like it was rushed just a tad in relation to Fiona and how the truth unfolds, it was a complete and fulfilling ending.
Mild trigger warning: Each girl has a trauma of some sort, they are all dealt without great detail, but they happened and they’re processed. The two that are the loudest are: one witnessed a suicide attempt, one was or almost was sexually assaulted.

How suspenseful and gripping! This book had me turning the pages from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book!!

The Broken Girls is a super readable, enjoyable new book by Simone St. James. The author's talent for combining the paranormal and mysteries shines in this story, where the ghostly element is just a small part of the many secrets hidden in the history of this small, decaying city. There's so much tragedy in this story, and the story of Fiona's fight to understand what really happened to her sister twenty years earlier, and its relationship to the local boarding school, was terribly intriguing. I found the 1950s timeline slightly less compelling, though figuring out the link to the present storyline was exciting.

I really enjoyed this one. It was a nice blend of gothic and mystery. It was a little slow in the beginning which made it hard to get into.

It alternated between the past, Vermont 1950, and "present," Vermont 2014. Each with their own set of characters and intertwining plots. I found that I was more interested in the girls of Idlewild Hall -- Roberta, CeCe, Sonia, and Katie -- than I was in Fiona. They felt more well-rounded and fully fleshed out.

Alternating between time periods is an interesting literary device and can work well if both plot lines are given the same care and attention. I just wasn't as invested in Fiona or her love life. I found myself antsy to get back to the girls than I was in reading about Fiona's entanglements.

All in all, it was a well written book. I enjoyed the majority of it, and look forward to what else the author has in store.

Dark, haunting and edgy, THE BROKEN GIRLS by Simone St. James tells both the dark history of a private girls’ school and a twisted ghost story that may be shrouding the answers to disappearances and death.

The unwanted girls were sent to Idlewild Hall. Some were “dirty little secrets, some far too brilliant and precocious, but all were troubled, short on trust in a world that seemed to turn its back on them. Rumor had it the school was haunted by the ghost of a young girl, was it true? Should she be feared or was she a guardian of sorts?

It was 1950 and four girls would form a bond that would not be broken. They became friends, family and confidants who had each other’s backs. Then one of them disappeared and she would not be the last…

Fast forward to 2014 where a free-lance journalist is determined to dig up the ghosts of the past as the long abandoned school is being renovated and rebuilt. Fiona has a vested interest in Idlewild. Her sister was found murdered there twenty years before and she cannot help but feel there is more to her sister’s death than what was discovered, but she never knew how much was hidden within the halls of Idlewild. If walls could talk, what would be revealed? If Fiona could find survivors from all those years before, would she be prepared for what she heard?

Dark, foreboding, and often heartbreaking, this is the story of girls cast off from society, whose lives mean little to the outside world, but someone remembers and someone will honor the rare trusts that were built. Perhaps more than a legendary ghost will be laid to rest.

Simone St. James has taken dark mysteries to a new level with an atmosphere that is almost oily to the touch. Feel the pain that breathes within this tale, as history gives up its secrets to the present. Intriguing reading that held me to each page like a moth to a flame.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Berkley!

Publisher: Berkley (March 20, 2018)
Publication Date: March 20, 2018
Genre: Thriller | Suspense
Print Length: 334 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

I have some intense reading lined up for March, and I needed a good mystery to balance out the heavy. The Broken Girls fit the bill perfectly.

Fiona's sister was murdered and left in the field of an abandoned boarding school. Sixty years earlier, a girl at the boarding school goes missing. This is the story of hos these two lives intersect.

I read this quickly and enjoyed the mystery. It was eerie without being scary and mysterious without being contrived. I enjoyed flipping back and forth between time periods and often found myself saying, "Just one more chapter."

First line: The sun vanished below the horizon as the girl crested the rise of Old Barrons Road.

Summary: In 1950, Idlewild Hall is a boarding school for troubled girls. A group of four girls build a friendship through their hardships and the fear of what is presiding at the school. In 2014, Fiona is still mourning the death of her sister whose body was found on the Idlewild grounds. When Fiona, a journalist, learns that Idlewild is being restored she decides to write a story about the place that holds so many feelings for her. As she continues to dig into the rundown school, she finds more than she bargained for.

Highlights: Very creepy. I got chills as I was reading. I liked the flashing back and forth between the present and the past but also between each of the Idlewild girls. It gave the story more depth and the reader more understanding of the mystery. Plus the addition of the history of the time. We forget that in our recent history places like Idlewild existed. A place to leave your unwanted daughters or daughters who do not fit into the social norms. St. James knows how to make a mystery good with a little paranormal twist. Moreover, it is not cheesy at all! I have to admit I am a little afraid of Mary Hand, the ghostly figure of the story.

Lowlights: Not a thing.

FYI: Check out Simone St. James’ other novels!

The Broken Girls was a great read for me. It had all the creepiness and suspense that I look for when I am reading a thriller of any kind. It centers around an old abandoned boarding school, the Idlewood Hall. There have been rumors circulating about this school for years and now that school in under renovations, it has brought up some awful memories for Fiona Sherifan. Her sister was found murdered not that far from the school 20 years ago. Fiona being the journalist she is, she puts her skills to work, trying to figure out who is behind the renovations, who is funding it, and mostly why.

The story is told from two different timelines, and from the past timeline, it is sad to say but it this school seemed to be the place where parents and other family sent their “unwanted” girls when they didn’t know what else to do with them. The girls are all very different, but have a special bond with each other. I enjoyed getting to know a little about each of the girls. As the story unfolds, secrets are unearthed from the past, and the clue start to link to the murder of Fiona’s sister. Fioan’s wastes no time, trying to it it all together too. There are some bone chilling moments, espeically when it came to the legend of Mary Hand. *shivers*

From the gothic atmosphere, the eerie Idlewood Hall combined will all the recovered secrets and tale, it all made for a suspenseful ghostly read.

Five remarkable stars!!

This story is unlike any I've read in quite a long while. It kept me on the edge of my seat and i didn't want to put it down.

The timeline jumps from the 1950s to 2014, so you have to pay attention to chapter changes or you'll get lost.

I loved how this wasn't just a ghost story or just a whodunit. I really enjoyed the suspense and thrills this story invoked while still letting you try to figure out who was behind everything.

Grab a copy and style in for a terrifyingly suspenseful, yet enjoyable story.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing for providing my free copy - all opinions are my own.

I absolutely LOVE this book!! It is haunting, atmospheric, suspenseful, and brilliantly written. I literally could not put it down!

In Barrons, Vermont 1950, four friends, Katie, Cece, Sonia, and Roberta, are roommates at a dismal, repressive boarding school for troubled girls called Idlewild Hall. The girls are inseparable but one day, suddenly, one goes missing. Did she runaway or was she murdered? Flash forward to 2014, a journalist, Fiona Sheridan learns that the abandoned boarding school is being restored and reopened. This is significant to her because it is where her sister was found murdered on the school grounds twenty years ago. Fiona never felt right about the outcome of the investigation so she digs into the past for answers. The more she finds out, the more dangerous things become.

I really enjoyed the complex structure of the book: dual storylines with chapters that alternate between past and present from Fiona’s and the four roommates’ perspectives. The author does an excellent job of this as both storylines come together seamlessly in the end. If you’re a skeptic of the supernatural element, don’t be because it is perfectly written into the story. Also, I really appreciate any book that includes real-life historical facts - it unequivocally added to my overall reading experience!

I’m telling you this book is outstanding! It has a fantastic plot and is filled with unique and relatable characters that have a tremendous amount of depth and courage. I loved both storylines, learning about the secrets of the past, and the eerie, creepy ghost! This glorious book captivated me from start to finish so I highly recommend you read it!

My rating is 5 / 5 stars!

I'm sure there will be plenty of people who will enjoy this spooky mystery but it's not the type of story that appeals to me. It is very fast paced and held my attention to the end. Ghostly appearances aside, the story was quite intriguing.

I didn't know what to expect when I started 'The Broken Girls." The prologue left me wondering where the story was going. It didn't more than a few more pages, though, to get me hooked. Simone St. James has done an excellent job of combining the past and present in this ghostly tale of a missing girl, heartbroken friends and a young woman, Fiona, determined to set herself apart from her famous father. The 1950s goings-on at Idlewild Hall, a private school for unwanted girls, lead to the 2014 search for answers. Someone wants to restore the old school, but the skeletons won't stay buried for long, both literally and figuratively. St. James, good job! Add me to your fan list. Excellent novel!

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James is an excellent piece of work, part gothic ghost novel, part modern day thriller, threading three different events that take place at three different times in the same place, together. Freelance journalist Fiona Sheridan regards the ruins of Idlewild Hall as a tragic place where her sister was murdered 20 years earlier, but when someone decides to start restoring the old boarding school she realizes that there is much more hidden in the grounds.

I literally could not put this book down. I love a good ghost story in this genre, and I also love a good thriller. In addition to all that I especially love a good, strong female lead character who follows her instincts and doesn’t back down. Often when I’m reading through a thriller I find myself racing through, skipping paragraphs to get to the end, but The Broken Girls is so well written, you just can’t skip a phrase. I also loved the dual timeline in the novel, it was great to have the perspective from 1950 and from 2014, and it really helped to enhance the eerie ghost storyline. I’m off to get Simone St James’s other books now, because if The Broken Girls is anything to go by I’m in for a huge treat!!

I kept the summary as vague as possible because I don’t want to provide any spoilers – it’s such a smart book that keeps you guessing and really important to live the plot as it unfolds rather than through someone else’s eyes.

The Broken Girls will be published by Berkley Publishing Group on March 20th, 2018. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

I really enjoyed this book and it's dual timelines. I really enjoy historical fiction and the story of the 4 roommates at Idlewild School did not disappoint. The ghost of Mary Hand added to the creepiness factor. Fiona's storyline as a journalist covering the renovation and the body that is discovered was nicely done and interesting to read. Although, the ending did not surprise me I found myself saying, just one more chapter, until I had finished the book. I will definitely be going to find other books by St. James to read and will be recommending this to my customers.

Once I started this book, except for refilling my beer glass, grabbing a quick sandwich and catching a few zzzzs, I didn't put it down. Yes, folks, I loved it - and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

The story opens in 1950 at Idlewild Hall in Vermont, a boarding school for girls who just don't fit in anywhere else. Four of the school's incorrigibles become unlikely roommates, and they band together to try and make their lives less miserable and deal with rumors that the school is haunted by a mysterious woman named Mary Hand. Then, one of the four leaves for an unexpected weekend visit with relatives and is never seen again.

Now it's 2014, when the long-abandoned school buildings and property are purchased by a buyer who plans to restore the place to its former glory and reopen it as a school. Local freelance writer Fiona Sheridan decides to do a story on the property. Fiona's interest, though, goes beyond the typical historical approach; 20 years ago, her older sister Deb was murdered - her body dumped in a field near the school. Deb's boyfriend was convicted and has been in jail ever since, but Fiona always suspected he might be innocent. Fiona's boyfriend, local cop Jamie, is less than enthusiastic about digging up old bones (so to speak); but her father, a well-known but mostly retired journalist, stands behind her.

As the story progresses, flashback chapters offer details of what was going on in 1950 from the perspective of each of the four roommates, while "here and now" chapters outline Fiona's efforts to gather information for her story. But the more she learns, the more she's sure she still needs to learn - and the more she meets resistance from people who would go to extreme lengths to ensure that what happened in the past stays in the past. Interesting connections turn up, including a tie-in with the Holocaust, and there are more than a few twists (some surprising, others not so much) along the way as well.

Definitely a winner for me - highly recommended!