Girls of Brackenhill is a chilling and riveting read from author Kate Moretti! To say I devoured this book would be an understatement. I honestly couldn't put it down in fear that I would miss something! While I know that's not possible as the writing inside stays the same I still couldn't let go! If you're a fan of the authors previous books you won't want to miss this one! Excellent!

Girls of Brackenhill is a mystery set inside an old, eerie castle, which provided a wonderful atmosphere to this book. Hannah’s sister vanished years earlier during their last summer spent with their aunt and uncle. Hannah learns that Brackenhill has a sordid history during her search for answers into her sister’s disappearance and her own history.

I really enjoyed the atmospheric quality that the setting added to this book. Overall, I enjoyed the pacing and the timelines that switched between past and present. Girls of Brackenhill kept me guessing up until the very last haunting page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and provide my honest feedback.

This is my first book by Kate Moretti..... I loved it. It was so different than the other books I have been reading lately. It was very much a GHOST story.... which is not always my thing, but I absolutely loved it. Moretti drew me in and held me all the way to the end. Hannah was a fun character.... I went back and forth on if I loved her or not. She was super human.... sometimes I was cheering for her and sometimes I was angry at her and sometimes I was annoyed with her.... she was a great character. I actually felt very similar feelings for Wyatt. I also loved the ending... which was completely different than I imagined it would be! I few things to note... I felt the goodreads summary didn't entice me the way they usually do, I wasn't as drawn to it as others... Also again I absolutely love and appreciate getting advanced copies I just wish they would always include the number of pages. I will add that to my blog post as soon as I know.

Thank you Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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I love this book. Don't let the length of time it took me to read this deter you. It's this dang coronavirus that had it had for me to get into anything honestly. But Kate Moretti has done a fantastic job creating a twisted haunting tale.
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Now a grown woman, Hanna, is returning to Brackenhill; A looming castle perched on a hill. Brackenhill once held a dear place in her heart. Her mother would send Hanna and her older sister Julia here during the summers to spend time with their Aunt Fae; and possibly just get the kids out of the house.
The first few summers there were nothing shy of magical. Then on their last summer there things were changing. Julia no longer wanted to include Hanna in things... Julia befriended Ellie and all but left Hanna behind. Strange this is though; Ellie is a missing girl... ran away they say the year before the girls last fated summer there.
The reason it was their last summer was because Julia went missing. Hanna has thought her whole light the Julia just ran away. The town people blamed Fae. You see, Julia wasn't the first girl to go missing from Brackenhill. But will she be the last?
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Seriously I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed reading this book. It gave me just the right amount of crazy people, haunted house, pitch fork town people vibes. I loved this can hope to be reading more by Kate in the near future. :) 3.5 star round up to 4 for me

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review, thank you for that.
Girls of Brackenhill is a book that has everything, mystery lies and secrets. A definite must read. Read all in one sitting.

Wow, this story kept me enthralled from page 1 to the end. I loved the dash of mysticism thrown into the story, too. I had no idea how the story would end and was kept guessing up until the final pages.

A gothic novel?. Check. A ghost story? Check. A murder mystery? Check. A spunky hero named Hannah? Check. Got you yet? Got me? Check. So, this is a movie waiting to happen and in the meantime read the book. Books are always better, especially if written by Kate Moretti. Oh, and it’s set in a damn castle...... what are you waiting for?

Had this book been a movie, I would have watched it peeking from behind the curtain of my fingers! So well written and so skilfully creepy!

I had an inkling what happened to Julia, the missing girl, and who the culprit for her disappearance was. Towards the end of the book, I was gratified to find out that I was correct. Or was I? The final scene threw me off!

Brakenhill was like an eerie character - it looms large in the story. Try not to imagine yourself getting lost in its strange shifting labyrinth of rooms in the basement.

Some scenes really made my hair stand on end...I don't usually read ghost stories and I think I will have to make sure I don't accidentally start one again. I want to be able to sleep with my lights off!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Mercer for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

4.5 stars.

“She’s escaped Brackenhill once. She could do it again.”

Loved every bit of this badass Gothic thriller. Girls Of Brackenhill is the type of book where you’re hooked from the very first page. It’s set inside a castle that makes women lose their sanity and causes children to go missing. Now that her aunt was an in a car accident, Hannah needs to return to the castle where she spent a total of five summers with her family as a child, and revisit unpleasant old memories, like her sister’s unsolved disappearance and the creepy history of the house itself.

The protagonist’s backstory is so well-navigated, and I loved how the author built her up into such a complex character. Of course, the trauma she’s experienced when she was a child is manifesting itself in frightening ways inside of her.

The book sounds promising at first and then simply delivers, all the way through, with impeccably spooky atmosphere. Mysterious woods. Creepy basement. Bones. Dreams. Nightmares. I definitely recommend this one.

This was a wonderful gothic mystery to get lost in! Hannah hasn't been back to her family's mansion in the Catskills since she was a teen and her older sister disappeared. However, she's called back when her aunt is involved in a tragic accident and she needs to return to her uncle. Along the way, she discovers memories long forgotten, ghosts that need to be laid to rest, and secrets that should have been kept buried. This story will keep you guessing and give you chills deep into the night. Loved it!

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It reads as a gothic ghost story in modern times. There were several mysteries throughout and I’m still a little unsure of the ending.

A good spooky ghost story taken place in an old gothic castle. If this was a movie, I would have watched it between my fingers! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC (one of my fav authors!) Pick this one up when it releases in September!

I have never read this author before, WOW! What have I been missing. A really scary mystery that has all sorts of who done its. I And a scary castle on top of that. I loved it! as soon as our libraries are opened again, I am going to read all her past books.

I loved this book - the ending was unexpected, there were many twists, and nothing was too graphic in details.

Girls of Brackenhill, by Kate Moretti was a true creepy, ghost story. It was the kind that can give you the chills and make you feel haunted, but you still can’t help but turn the next page. It begins with one mysterious event and ends up taking us on an entirely different path. I enjoyed following along for this ride and look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holy cow, wow, this was such an amazing, scary, thrilling read, I could not hardly put it down! I think out of all the books I’ve read by Kate Moretti, this just might be my favorite! I love books that use hauntings/ghosts as a supplement to their story, and this did just that! It was fast paced, absolutely goosebump enduring chilling, thrilling, and of course gasp worthy shocking! I highly, highly recommend, as I promise it’s not one to miss, it will give you everything you crave, and more! Preorder today!
I will make sure I buzz it around on different platforms!

Forgive me for this.....

...but WHAT just happened?!

I actually don’t even know. I don’t understand the ending AT all. I don’t want to give anything away with my review... so I’ll try to be very careful about how I write this, so bare with me if this is quite vague.

Is she crazy? Has she been hallucinating this whole time? Did she do it? What happens between the “crazy” woman in the tower and the ending?! I get that there’s a five month separation between the tower scene and the ending...but I’m left feeling like I woke up from a dream and have NO idea what happened.

So let me say this, GREAT story, GREAT mystery... I was literally so confused until it started to unravel to reveal the truth behind the past 17 years...there was so many weird things that happen in the Brackenhill castle that can’t or aren’t explained...and it’s fascinating. Like is Hannah dreaming all these weird things that happen, or are they really happening?

So many questions left unanswered to be honest. I was expecting more from this book than what I got I think, but it was a good read...the ending just threw me for a loop because I don’t feel like I got any closure...it just ended with so many unanswered questions on my end.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this novel for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!</i>

For many years in her childhood, Hannah and her sister Julia stay with their Aunt Fae and Uncle Stuart at Brackenhill castle for the summer. They are greeted with a fairy tale in many ways and discover a lot about themselves in the process. One summer, everything changes when Julia disappears. It turns out Brackenhill has quite the history of missing girls and Hannah decides after 17 years to return to the scene where everything happened. The book goes back to the past to reveal events leading up to Julia disappearing and returns to the present as Hannah tries to figure everything out before she is the next missing girl. I really thought this book was well written and liked how it kept me guessing until almost the very end. I would love to read more from this author and will be recommending this book to others.

This novel begins well and ends badly. That is an annoyance I find incompatible with a positive review. When you read a mystery you expect a solution. This book does not offer one. It ties up some loose ends but leaves the main one unsolved. The hint of the supernatural the ending suggests weakens the plot. Can the reader suspend disbelief and accept the premise of ghosts and their appearance in dreams ? Some can, me not at all. I could not figure out why the author would feel this strengthens the plot line. The book could really be an interesting and absorbing read if theses weaknesses were corrected.

This was a good solid thriller. I did predict some things midbook but I read a lot of mysteries and could see some things coming; however I did still enjoy it. There were a couple things that annoyed me - mainly the relationship between Hannah and her fiance. Loved the final chapter as well - it keeps the mystery alive.