Most of Simone St. James’s spooky novels have been set in the early 20th century, so The Broken Girls is a bit of a departure. Some of it is set in 1950, but the bulk is set in 2014.

Fiona Sheridan’s sister, Deb, was murdered 20 years ago and her body found on the grounds of what had been Idlewild Hall, a school for girls. Although Deb’s boyfriend, Tim Christopher, has long been in prison for the murder and Fiona believes he is guilty, something about the case still bothers her. This issue tends to raise tension between her and her boyfriend, Jamie Creel, a cop whose father investigated the murder.

When Fiona drives by Idlewild Hall near the anniversary of her sister’s death, she sees that development work is going on. A reporter, she pitches an idea to cover the local story, including rumors of a ghost on the property. But the body of a girl dressed in the uniform of the old school turns up in an old well, and Fiona begins trying to identify her.

In 1950, four girls are roommates at Idlewild Hall, a school for throw-away girls. Katie was sent away when she was raped by a neighbor boy. Cece is the bastard daughter of a wealthy man. Roberta witnessed her uncle’s attempted suicide and temporarily stopped speaking. Sonia is a refugee from post-war France.

All the girls in the school have periodic glimpses of the ghost of Mary Hand, and there are stories about her written inside the school textbooks. Everyone at the school, including the teachers, is afraid.

The novel begins in the 1950’s with a girl fleeing someone on the school grounds. It takes us a while to figure out who and what from, and that’s a secret of the book.

The Broken Girls is another excellent spookfest from Simone St. James. She and Catriona McPherson are beginning to be my favorite authors for light, scary reading.

This is my second Simone St. James book, and I am definitely going to be checking out her other work. St. James excels at crafting a thick, creepy atmosphere in her work, and she can actually make ghosts kind of scary, which I think is difficult to do. The great thing about her ghost stories is that they’re not just ghost stories, but rich mysteries as well. In The Broken Girls, the story plays out in two timelines. The first, in the 1950s, features four girls living in Idlewild, a haunted boarding school for “troubled” girls. The second, in 2014, features journalist Fiona Sheridan, who is still dealing with her sister’s murder near Idlewild twenty years ago, and sets out to write a story on the restoration of Idlewild by a mysterious benefactor.

In her quest to discover more about Idlewild, Fiona plays detective in a way that makes the academic librarian in me so excited. She goes on a hunt for old school archives, she scours the internet looking for information, she contacts historians…basically she goes on a super cool hunt and she discovers secrets bit by bit until she solves not just one crime, but several. It’s really compelling and thrilling to follow along with Fiona as she attempts to get to the bottom of everything.

Personally I though the way one of the mysteries got resolved was super coincidental and stretched disbelief just a bit, but I think St. James handled it in such a way that made it believable. I can’t say much more without spoiling things, but suffice it to say that I was not expecting World War II and Nazis to play any part in this book. I was surprised by this inclusion, but I liked it; I think it was incorporated well into one of the characters’ backstories and added depth to the narrative. I also admire the research St. James dedicated to this, particularly with regards to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, which held women and children and is a particularly unsettling piece of history.

I definitely could have done without Fiona’s cop boyfriend, who just seemed extraneous, but I wasn’t that bothered by him or his relationship with Fiona. It was more of a take it or leave it situation. Despite the boyfriend I actually found the modern-day storyline to be more compelling than the 50s storyline, but in the end the two come together in a way that, while not altogether surprising, is ultimately quite satisfying.

While I appreciated the dual time line it took me nearly 15 days to complete this book. I think with a mystery/thriller you should want to come back and read more but I didn't always feel like that. The characters were ok, I enjoyed the parts from the past more. Nothing overly exciting or shocking about this read. I would still read more from this author, as this story was not for me.

What I Say.....Well, this was a completely new book experience for me. I've read historical fiction that has had an element of a ghost story, but this book seemed somehow completely unique. We read it for my book club and the verdict was pretty unanimous that we were intrigued but a bit confused.

Firstly, if you've read my blog for a while, you know I'm a huge fan of alternating timeline plots. However, in this book, it just didn't work as well. I was bored by the current day plot, and really had no interest in Fiona's story. I found myself rushing through the present day in order to read the past. It was hard to pinpoint what timeline Fiona's story even was. It could have been present day, could have been the 1990's, there just wasn't enough information, or maybe there was, but I rushed by it.

I"m still confused by the Mary Hand story and how it impacted the four girls at the boarding school. Although there were plenty of stories about Mary, it didn't make sense to me that she would be the only ghost there, especially when there were other girls murdered at the school.

The ending took a giant twist, that's for sure. And a very unrealistic one. At one point, I was thinking how the hell did Nazi's get involved in this story? But as weird as it seemed and as much as Mary Hand seemed to take a page from Pennywise the Clown, I was still engaged enough to finish it.

I don't want to give up too much, and I don't want to imply that the book wasn't good, because I immediately downloaded and read all of Simone St. James's other books. The Haunting of Maddy Clare was by far my favorite. It was more of a straight forward ghost story. I finished that in a day and a half.

This book was phenomenal!! It’s so twisted and suspenseful that you won’t be able to put it down. It’s dark and disturbing. A paranormal/ghost book that is highly addictive.

You go to the restroom, cook food, even when you get your kids ready for bedtime you take this book with you. I had to know what happened in that school. Fiona, Ce-Ce, Roberta, Sonia and Katie are reliable narrators. We switch from the past to the present trying to solve a murder and figure out exactly what happened.

Overall I’m extremely happy I was approved to read this book. This was my first book by Simone St. James and it won’t be my last.

This book sets an atmosphere in the first pages. A girl being chased trough the woods. Soon you start to question which girl as more seem to be missing in the various stories developing in this book.
There is the part with the girls living in the boarding house back in the 50's. As all four girls get to tell their part of the story and how they experienced it you get a lot of information on how that period was. The voice are not really distinct but their stories are. There were some really scary parts in their stories. All four are easy to like and connect too.
Then there is the part with Fiona. On the search for the truth about her sisters dead she discovered some things that were neglected in the investigation. Getting tangled up in an even older case the police wont work on she starts this interesting investigation about the history of Idlewild Hall and what happened in those years. I liked how as a reader I was able to puzzle along with her mystery. I really enjoyed the way both stories touched too.
As the story developed I did get scared about all the story lines and if the 336 pages would be enough to get all the answers. There were two mysteries that needed solving, there were some ghosts questions that needed some explaining and obviously as a reader I had to know what happened with all the people in the story. Thankfully everything was tied up really nice in the end and the only warning I can give is that you wont be able to put this one down when you start reading.

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Oh boy, where do I even begin?

Have you ever watched a ghost movie and wanted more information from previous victims and the ghost itself? It wasn't enough to see how the current situation was handled, you wanted to know more about the haunting's mystery, about people who permitted these situations to go on, and the grieving process of families affected.

Well, I have and this book delivered.

This book held a constant eerie mood, a suspensefulness in the silence and doubtfulness of events. Both timelines presented were expertly written. These initially entirely distinctive timelines were able to intertwine and converge in a progressively smooth manner. Like, yessss. I'm a sucker for this kind of writing when it's done correctly.

As for the characters?
They were all realistic and actually had common sense (something I have yet to see in scary movies until it's essentially too late for them, and even then a lot of them are stupid af).

The characters were all intelligent in their own way, even the girls in Idlewild in 1950. They were able to adapt to their situation and make it work. The sisterhood bonding represented between Katie, CeCe, Roberta, and Sonia was genuinely one of the best I've read in a while. These are girls who are constantly supporting one another and making it apparent that their love and happiness for one another will always come first. Their connection was just so good.

Onto the protagonist: Yes - some of Fiona's actions were questionable at first but as you learn more about her character you begin to realize that her actions are not due to stupidity or lack of common sense. They're done as a result of her curiosity to finally get some closure surrounding her sister's death and murderer. A fact that becomes exceptionally clear when you realize she will never truly function until she finds out the truth about that one event. So fuck ghosts and their creepy grounds, Fiona's gotta uncover shit for her own sake.

As for Jaime? Jaime is making it into my list of favorite male characters. He's just a solid decent person. Nothing more, nothing less.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this book. So much, in fact, that although NetGalley gave me an ebook version for free in exchange for an honest review (thank you so much!!), I still went out and bought a physical copy. Yeah. I'm that person lol. There were a few sections I considered to be slow or boring, which is why I didn't give it a full five stars.

Oh! This novel also had quite a few historical fiction elements tied in, which was a delightful surprise seeing as I learned something new about the largest concentration camp for women - Ravensbruck.

In 1950, four teenage girls become friends at Idlewild Hall, a boarding school for troublemakers and illegitimate children. When one of the girls mysteriously disappears, her friends decide to investigate. Over the decades, the boarding school slowly becomes discontinued and eventually abandoned. However, in 2014, Idlewild Hall is being renovated by a wealthy benefactor. Journalist Fiona Shaw wants to write an article about Idlewild Hall’s restoration because in the 1990s her sister was found dead on the school grounds. As she searches for clues to her sister’s murder, Fiona unlocks the hidden secrets of the school’s past.

These Broken Girls is told in third person that switches from the past in 1950 to 2014. I thought the past storyline was more intriguing than the modern storyline. I found the past characters to be very compelling, and I loved each of them. Each of them had a distinct personality. One of the girls was the leader, another was tomboyish, one was a follower, and the fourth was very quiet. Each of them had a tragic past that is slowly revealed to the reader. However, they bonded and helped each other through their most difficult moments. These characters were very realistic and engaging and I could not wait to see what happened to them.

Fiona was not as intriguing as the characters in the 1950s. There were times in which I wanted to skip her story and move on to the chapters set in the past. Fiona still has questions surrounding her sister’s murder and wants to know the truth. She is very persistent in finding her sister’s murderer. She is in a relationship with a cop but does not want to be tied down. Besides these details, there is not much character development to Fiona. There are moments in which she shines and uses her wits, but information comes easily available to her.

Overall, These Broken Girls explores love in various forms. The novel’s main themes are families and friendships. The story starts out slow, but quickly picks up speed towards the end. The Gothic setting made for a spine-chilling and bloodcurdling read. One thing I did not like about this book was the ghost character of Mary Hand. There were moments in which her character did not make any sense. The ghost element did not enhance the story and should have been eliminated from the novel. I have to add that I was very impressed with Mrs. St. James’s latest novel. I have read all her works and was getting tired of them because she kept using the same formula in her novels. However, These Broken Girls was a very refreshing read because it had a different setting and plot. This latest novel restored my hopes with Simone St. James, and I’m excited to read her next work! This novel is perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Karen White, and Susanna Kearsley!

This book is incredible. Typically I like my books move faster than this, but I adored this book. The slow pace got me emotionally invested in the story. I cried, I got angry and I found myself giddy at times as well. The writing is great, but the character development is what made me feel so emotionally connected to the story.

I kept hearing about this book, which is one of the reasons I picked it up now rather than later, but for some reason I really didn't expect it to be anything special. I was so wrong. The writing captured emotions through dialogue in a way that made you feel like you were present in the story it didn't feel like a novel, it felt real.

This story is told in the third person, from the story line in 1950 and one in 2014. That chapters switch back and forth, keeping the pace of the book moving. The two plot lines meet as Fiona tries to piece together the clues to a cold case. I found myself way more emotionally invested then I typically get with mysteries because of Simone St. James haunting and electric prose. This book is getting attention for a reason, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.

The Broken Girls tells the story of a journalist named Fiona trying to uncover the truth about her older sister’s murder. Followed by the ghost of Mary Hand, Fiona uncovers the tragic story of Sonia, a student at Idlewild Hall boarding school in Vermont.

Some of the creepy Mary Hand ghost parts left me on the edge of my seat, all of my senses heightened in fear of hearing tapping on the window and the voice of a girl asking to come in. I enjoyed the Gothic feel to this read. The Broken Girls is a character-driven story, leaning more towards mystery than thriller. Idlewild Hall, looming over many souls for over a hundred years, was a character on its own.

There were some facts repeated multiple times which makes me feel like the author thinks I’m not smart enough to remember that particular fact after it’s mentioned the first or second time. We are also given a character description when she looks in the mirror. This info could have been woven into the story elsewhere (and it was, multiple times). The whole journalist dating a cop thing was a predictable relationship. For me, there was a lot going on, and maybe some editing could have made this a five-star read.

Chilling, unpredictable page-turner about overcoming hardships and the power of truth. I suggest this one to mystery fans who like a dollop of supernatural with a big spoonful of romance.

Dual time period books are a favorite of mine and with an action filled prologue the author grabbed my attention and did not let go till the very end.

From 1950 we meet four teen girls left at Idlewild Hall for various reason, sent there because they are troubled and/or uncontrollable. Idlewild Hall is said to be haunted by the ghost of Mary Hand...

Mary Hand, Mary Hand,
Dead and buried under land...
Faster, faster.
Don’t let her catch you.
She’ll say she wants to be your friend..:
Do not let her in again!

In 2014 Fiona is still struggling from the tragic death of her sister, her body was discovered on the deserted field of Idlewild but something just doesn't feel right and she can't let it go.

The Broken Girls is flawless, between a unique plot with characters I couldn’t help feeling heaps of compassion for, where others rubbed me the wrong way. They are flawed, troubled and believable. While I tried to predict the next move the author keep me on my toes as the many layers started to unwind.

I loved the writers style, there was depth of character and she stayed true to both time periods. The historical aspects weren't what I expected and totally worked perfectly here, it was a bonus I didn't see coming. The ending wasn't rushed and tied everything up nicely.

Another thing that I really loved is the synopsis, there is enough information to get the just of the story but there are no spoilers or any 'this happens, that happens', it’s a pet peeve of mine when the synopsis gives too much of the story away and removes those elements of surprise.

If it was possible to give The Broken Girls more than 5 stars I would, as soon as I saw the cover it landed on my TBR, my gut feeling told me this would be a gem and I wasn't disappointed at all.

My sincere thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

This book was tense and creepy. It kept me reading into the night (which I shouldn't have considering I had trouble sleeping after). I love how Simone St. James blends the past and the present into a nail biting mystery.

*Originally posted on www.crazy-bookworm.com*

From Page one this book grasped its ghostly fingers around me and didn't let go! Fascinating characters with an irresistible storyline made The Broken Girls one of my favourite reads of 2018...actually, one of my most favourite ever!

The Broken Girls is a captivating mash-up of ghost story meets suspense. You have a whodunnit thrown right into the mix of a haunting. You will not be able to break free until all of your questions are answered. And trust me, the author doesn't give in easily. Each cliffhanger moment is both painful and scrumptious all at the same time!

The Broken Girls was delivered not only in multiple perspectives but in 2 different eras. Some may consider this a risky move but Simone St. James did it flawlessly. Each Character was so diverse and each held a strong and distinct voice that not once did I find they blended together, or that I got confused on who's point-of-view I was reading from. Each character is also presented at a beautiful pace. Their stories slowly unfolding made it a great opportunity to bond with each character.

The Paranormal aspect of this novel was done perfectly! It was both eerie and mysterious. It definitely made my bedtime reading a bit challenging. You're never too old for a night light...right??

The Broken Girls is the total package. It packs so much in its 326 pages. It will tug at your heart one moment, and send your spine tingling the next. Buckle up, because you're in for one epic reading experience!

Also, is Simone St. James not the best author name?!

"It wasn't easy to survive in a boarding school full of throwaway girls, but after swallowing her tears in those first moments, Katie has mastered it."

This might be one of my favourite books of the year. Absolutely stunning - I had to go and find the rest of simone’s Work so I could bask in her brilliance a bit more. Full review to be posted tomorrow on my Good Reads and blog. This will be edited to include a link. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read!

Wow, The Broken Girls was an excellent novel! A little bit of everything that I love in this book, a mystery, a ghost, murder, and a spooky story set in two different times.

It's setting is a boarding school. In the 1950 chapters, we meet the girls who live there. In 2014, the school is closed and being renovated. With the difference in the years, the writing of the author had it flow easily from one to the other.

This is a good mystery with that bit of paranormal and easily made it a 5 🌟 read for me. Definitely a highly recommended book!

*I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.

Idlewild Hall has never never a happy place. In the 1950's, it was a boarding school for girls whose families had deemed them unwanted. In the 1990's, it's grounds were the location for a murderer to dump the body of Deb Sheridan. In the 2000's, it is being restored, and Fiona Sheridan is drawn to both writing a story about it and trying to solve what truly happened to her sister. But as she delves deeper into the story, shocking revelations come to light about the past--and about the ghostly woman who has been appearing at Idlewild since its inception.:

I really liked this book! It hits some of my favorite things to read about-(multiple) mysteries from the past, and paranormal elements. There are so many strong female characters. And St. James really kept me guessing-I would think I had something figured out, and would then find out something that turned everything I thought I knew on its head. One of the big reveals by the end I had absolutely never seen coming.

This book manages to be a mystery grounded in reality that also has a fantastically creepy paranormal element. I definitely recommend this read.

Vermont, 1950: Idlewild Hall is the home for girls who are no longer wanted. The student body is made up of girls who are refugees, victims of the war, pregnant, illegitimate, or just plain too troublesome for their parents to want around the house. Four roommates have found true friendship in this place, building a bond from mutually being shunned from society. One day their world is shifted and altered beyond repair. One of the girls has disappeared and the friends are convinced she has been murdered.

Vermont, 2014: Meet Fiona Sheridan, a journalist obsessed over her sister’s murder twenty years earlier, she can’t stop herself from going to the abandoned site of Idlewild Hall. This is where her sister’s body was found and she believes it holds the answers to her death. Despite the killer being in prison, Fiona can’t shake the feeling that there is more to the story. With the news that Idlewild Hall has been purchased by a new owner who plans to rebuild and open a new boarding school for girls. Fiona sets out to write an article about the rebuild as a way to gain more insight in to her sister’s case.

THE BROKEN GIRLS is a story what readers have come to know and love as a mystery thriller. Simone St. James changes the game with adding a fascinating paranormal aspect to the book, which effects not one, but both of the alternating timelines. Just when you think that’s enough to win any reader over, St. James also give you a chance to meet all of the roommates from the 1950’s timeline. These roommates and the character of Fiona who generally is the focus of the 2014 narrative come together to create a well-rounded and interconnected final product. Each chapter kept me wanting to know more and staying up way past my bedtime to accomplish just that! As a long time fan of crime fiction and thrillers, it’s fantastic to find an author that can keep you on the edge of your seat and add a new exciting element to the story. I highly recommend THE BROKEN GIRLS to fans of crime fiction, thrillers, mysteries, and even those who enjoy historical fiction.

Loved this book. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.

Love love love. Incredible book. Fabulous book club pick too

Haunting, imaginative, and mystical!

In this latest novel by St. James, The Broken Girls, she transports us to Barrons, Vermont a small town where the restoration of an abandoned boarding school will unearth powerful emotions, tragic memories, and more long-buried secrets and skeletons than anyone could have imagined.

The prose is eerie and dark. The plot, told from alternating timelines, is gripping, suspenseful and filled with familial drama, neglect, hatred, abuse, desperation, violence, and murder all interwoven with a thread of the supernatural. And the characterization is spot on with a cast of characters that are damaged, fearless, and loyal, and a setting, Idlewild Hall, that is a character itself with its dereliction and isolation.

Overall, The Broken Girls is an intelligent, unique, skillfully crafted page-turner that will have you on the edge of your seat from the very first page and will ultimately leave you chilled, surprised, satisfied and thoroughly entertained.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

The title of this novel is a bit of a misnomer; I think I would prefer The Wounded Girls. They did not fall off a shelf or get dropped. Whether their injuries were on purpose or by accident, they were harmed at the hand of another, or in some cases, many others. Wounds can heal, even if leaving a scar. Being broken is like Humpty Dumpty – from which one may or may not recover. One thing is for certain – this novel is much more intriguing and exciting than the description, which by itself makes it a must-read.

Fiona’s sister Deb was murdered twenty years ago and left in the sports field of the abandoned Idlewild Hall, a former boarding school for wounded girls. Girls that others didn’t care about taking the time to heal, often by the people who were supposed to loved them the most. Fiona is wounded, deeply, by the loss of her sister. Even though her killer is in prison for life, it does not remove the scar.

Fiona currently does freelance work rather than the kind of journalism she prefers. When she learns that Idlewild, closed since 1979, has been purchased and will be restored, she leaps at the chance to write about it. There are always trade-offs, however. She seeks answers for her own wounds, but as she learns about four girls from 1950, she seeks answers for the one who went missing and her three wounded friends. Something was behind the troubles resulting in its final shutdown, something that might still be there. In addition, there must be a reason the new owner is obsessed with buying and restoring it. There must also be a reason that no files of any kind seem to exist, either for financial, personnel, or students.

Fiona’s life will change as a result of her project. Fiona’s relationship with her famous father, Malcolm, might change as well. He is a renowned journalist who hasn’t written much for a long time. This project fascinates him even as it might repel him. The man Fiona has been dating, 29 to her 37, is a 3rd generation cop. His grandfather and father had been chief of police in their day. Journalists and cops do not mix well. Jamie’s father was one of the first responders when Fiona’s sister Deb’s broken body was found. It is clear that he wants Fiona away from Idlewild and away from his son. Learning that he may have engineered the outcome of searches in both in Deb’s case and at least one other, and feeling an eerie chill of the past, Fiona’s tenacity may either pay off or result in the worst she has been through since losing Deb.

The characters are compelling and their stories heartrending. The author gives us an inside look at four girls, students who have bonded through the time they are roommates in 1950 and suffered a great loss. We get to see Idlewild through their perspective. They are well-defined throughout the novel; they each have a past they don’t want to share, even among themselves. Even though this is known as a school for throwaways, they are overall quite likable. Sonia is one of my favorites, I think, because of how we both love books, and CeCe, because she is much smarter than she thinks she is. We get to know Fiona very well also, a middle-age woman who is always on the search for truth and justice even while pushing people away, since most people don’t get her grief for and obsession with her sister. Fiona is one of my favorites, also; she has a strength and ability to dig for answers that are admirable.

The narrative alternates between Fiona’s venture in 2014 and the four girls from 1950: Sonia, CeCe, Roberta, and Katie. If that sounds overwhelming, it really isn’t. I found that, as the time periods and points of view alternate, the voices compliment each other. The plot has twists and turns that surprised me more than once! Somewhere mind-boggling, shedding more light on the characters and mysteries. There is possible paranormal involvement that connects the events of 1950 through to 2014 that neither Fiona nor the girls from 1950 will discount. There is definitely something more on the site than meets the eye, or the intellect. And more behind the police investigations of both centuries. The novel begins at an even pace, then begins to snowball faster and faster until reaching the multiple stunning resolutions. The end is satisfying, with the mysteries wrapped up and new, exciting directions for some characters. I highly recommend this novel for those who appreciate very well-written and executed mysteries that involve cold cases, a bit of history, paranormal activity, and the tenacity of true journalism at its best.