Claudia is a massage therapist, who loves her job and her son, Henry. Outside of that, she doesn’t have much as Henry’s father left them after Henry was born. Maggie and her daughter, connect with them soon after they move into their apartment building and they become friends. Claudia shares her difficulties with Henry and his current preschool who are struggling to manage Henry at school, a problem she has at home, as well. Maggie encourages them to check out her daughters private school, The Hawthorn School, where her daughter is thriving. While Claudia sees no way she can possibly afford the school, she goes out for a visit. Zelma, who welcomes them, is immediately kind and handles Henry without an issue. Claudia feels at peace at the school and wants for her son to enroll there, where he can grow and play and be a kid in the wonderful surroundings there. The Hawthorn School is happy to help. She can pay what she can and volunteer her time at the school to cover what she can’t. It’s all so easy. However, it is not all as great as it seems and the longer Henry is at the school, the stranger things become. What is really going on at this school? Read it, to find out.

The Hawthorn School is a psychological thriller that is slow to get moving but then takes off running. A story of narcissistic abuse of power, that traps Claudia in a situation she might not be able to get out of. Some moment are obvious re: what is happening but some are more of a surprise to the reader, until we get well into the book and things become more clear. For this one, you have to suspend your disbelief as there are some parts that just seemed impossible to this reader, but the book in general was interesting and had me turning pages late at night as I tried to work through what was happening in the novel.
The characters were a mixed bag. I do think this was purposeful, as you ultimately were not meant to like the more evil characters of the book. I also found myself wanting to shake Claudia at times, for some of the things she missed or decisions she made. Ultimately though, I liked her enough to want to see her get out of the mess she found herself in.
An interesting read that does make you think about how much damage one narcissistic, delusional individual can do.

The blurb seemed mysterious, the concept of unconventional style of teaching kind of intrigued me, and that's why I requested this book.

The book starts well but it is painfully slow. The storytelling is not interesting enough to carry this intriguing n mysterious theme. Initially, I understood Claudia's dilemma/worries but she's an uninteresting character.

I really hoped I would like this book but I'm disappointed.

The writing style is so easy to get lost in. You start reading and the next thing you know you read 20% in no time.

The book is pretty predictable. You know the whole time where it is going and so when you start uncovering the truth it not a surprise.

I am unsure how Claudia made me feel. As a mother her need to do the best for Henry is relatable, but it frustrating because you see how much control she given and what comes next.

I have read many of cult books, and this was showed a side I haven't read before. Saw the practice of breaking a person down, watch what sounds like a pure good intention, slow morphs in this terrible nightmare. Once the ball starts rolling the book leaves you feeling tense and that there is no way to stop it.

I find these stories are so hard to write. The author did an excellent job of building the atmosphere up and getting the reader to root for the main character, Claudia. This book will have mixed reviews -people will love it or it will fall flat. For me, it fell flat.

Let's start with the good. This book was very gothic and atmospheric and I was totally here for it. Claudia Morgan was a character I loved to hate which usually isn't my thing but I liked it here. The book did suck me in and was fast paced enough for me to read it in a day. I loved the fact that the plotline included a cult-like atmosphere as that's about as creepy as you can get. It is obvious from the start that the author is familiar with human behavioural issues.

Now for what I found lacking. I found Claudia Morgan to be a little on the naive side and slow on the uptake. She rarely saw what was right in front of her. I also found the book to be on the predictable side and the end felt a little rushed to me. Overall not a bad read and deserving of three stars. Would I read this author again? Yes

The Hawthorne School was a weird read for me. As others have said, the setting was so intriguing and probably the best part of the entire book. It's just that the protagonist and the plot didn't quite work for me, personally. Claudia was pretty clueless throughout and, with how predictable most of the story beats were, that was difficult for me to swallow. I also wasn't a fan of the final few chapters with the twist about G and the children. It made me extremely uncomfortable, though I figure that was part of the point.

I have to admit I am a sucker for creepy school that almost seem to be a character on their own. Which is exactly why I knew I needed to read this book. 

This book starts slow, but still creepy. Claudia is trying so hard to take care of her 4 year old son on her own, but it isn't easy and she's struggling. So when she finds out about The Hawthorne School, it seems that all her problems will be solved.

At first glance, this book is creepy and gothic with lots going on under the surface. Unfortunately, the could see what was happening almost immediately. And you all know I hate a naïve main character. I just wanted her to question something, and  by the time she did start questioning things, it was like they were already hitting her in the face.

I wanted so much to love this novel, but its predictability and boring main character just made it fall flat for me. It started out creepy, but it just fell flat.

This was a great read. It was a non traditional thrilled with grade A atmospheric writing that had me intrigued from start to finish.

Single mother, Claudia, loves her son but has a difficult time with his behavior. When he’s accepted into the mysterious and prestigious Hawthorne School she is thrilled. As she and Henry get deeply involved in the school, she starts wondering if there is something off about the castle.

This is definitely an entertaining read that kept me interested but it turned out to be predictable. There weren’t any surprises for me and the climaxes felt obvious. It kept my attention and I enjoyed the ambiance and atmosphere of the story. The main kid in the story was really annoying and I found it difficult to feel for him or his mother. If you want an entertaining read that doesn’t require too much in depth thinking and has dark ambiance in the school setting, this would be good for you.

“They’d been given an opportunity, and she was going to be grateful.”

The Hawthorne School comes out 12/7.

Another one that had me wondering why they would write a character that was so clueless and unrelatable. I did enjoy the atmosphere that was written - anything gothic and I am drawn in write away. But, it was a totally predictable read with a main character who wasn't someone I enjoyed reading about.

This was a FANTASTIC read. The author did a wonderful job of making the reader feel the suspense of the characters and be immersed in the actual Hawthorne School. I felt anxious with each page I read and wanted to quickly finish so that I could know how it ended. It was well written with incredible detail. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who asks!

Thank you so much for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good psychological thriller with a gothic theme and a convoluted plot. The idea of this book had me very intrigued so I was glad to get the ARC.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this was for me. I tried so hard to like it but there were too many elements that made this story difficult to enjoy. Claudia was clueless most of the time and I understood that because of her characterization, her need for assurance and approval but her not seeing the obvious got really frustrating,

The writing also just didn’t do it for me. The story fell flat and the sentences felt a bit blunt.

I was very excited to read The Hawthorne School after reading the description. And while the book wasn't really bad, I wasn't blown away by it. There was such potential for a really creepy gothic tale but it just failed the mark. The main character, Claudia, was very unlikable and too naive and clueless. The first half of the book was slightly dull but the second half was way more entertaining, almost like another person wrote it. This book was just ok.

Claudia, a single mom to extremely difficult Henry, has found support in The Hawthorne School. Embracing nature and letting children learn at their own pace, Henry's behavior at the school has vastly improved. He's eating better, not tantruming, and has become, basically, a much more likeable child. Claudia has finally found the place for them.

Or has she?

Between the creepy old lady director, the little green juice drinks, and the rules the school imposes not only on children but on parents as well, this is a recipe for disaster. Too bad Claudia is so desperate for acceptance that she misses EVERY SINGLE RED FLAG thrown in her face. Seriously, Claudia....you visit a school once and they say hey, come here for FREE? And what about the weird juice? Like....that's not a thing.

This was a fantastic, creepy, gothic, albeit somewhat predictable, psychological thriller. I quite enjoyed it and the ending. Those Night People really came through, huh?

Sadly I did not finish this book. I found the description of the book intriguing, but could not really get into it.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

THE HAWTHORNE SCHOOL by Sylvie Perry follows single mother, Claudia, as she tries to take care of her troublesome toddler, Henry. When the Hawthorne School accepts him as a student, everything changes…

I wanted to like this book SO bad, but I honestly found the story too obvious and quite dull and repetitive.

Claudia could have become a character to root for if she wasn’t so oblivious to everything happening around her or if she had some self-confidence or self-esteem. She consistently made poor decisions and was in an endless cycle of “I’m a bad mother.” There were also just so many side plots and interactions thrown in that felt unnecessary and didn’t act as any sort of realistic red herrings.

This book wasn’t all bad. The spooky atmosphere and setting were spot on and I did find the ending to be quite enjoyable and fast-paced, however, most of everything leading up to that was a bit of a let-down…

Not sure if “fans of Riley Sager” will be fans of this one, but if you’re new to the thriller genre, maybe check this one out.

Publication Date: December 07, 2021

*** special thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review ***

Life as a single parent isn’t easy. Especially with a child like Henry, who’s always getting in trouble and spends more time at school in time-out than actually learning. Claudia, the 4-year olds mother, is understandably happy when she learns about the Hawthorne school, A private school for children with a nature approach, and that she may just have a shot at getting her son into said school.

The book for me was an okay read. For the most part I felt like it was just washing over me without too much debt. I couldn’t connect to the characters, especially Claudia, who was way too trusting with people to a point where a lot of things just went over her head, which she could have noticed much sooner.

The school setting really intrigued me. Which kid doesn’t want to go to a school in a mysterious castle?

The writing style of Sylvie Perry wasn’t for me, at some points it felt like it was written like a childrens book with short sentences and everything being pointed out for the reader. At other times I had the impression the book tried to be bigger than it actually was. Both things clashed a lot and made the reading for me unpleasant.

My biggest problem was the ending, without spoiling anything, it felt rushed and sudden. There are still some questions that weren’t answered and some twists were just taken without ever being questioned by Claudia. After slowly, really slowly, building up to the climax it was just done in the blink of an eye.

A creepy gothic school and a clueless protagonist!

I did enjoy the atmosphere with the enormous, gothic, castle-like Hawthorne school which is what drew me to this one.

The protagonist, Claudia wants the best her four-year-old son, Henry. He is getting bad reports at his current school when she hears about the Hawthorne School. She visits and is in awe of the curriculum and warm welcome that she receives from the head mistress.

I could see what was happening a mile away, but the clueless Claudia did not! She had her head in the sand and needed a true friend to help her figure out the obvious! Not a friend in sight to slap some sense into her.

Nothing she did made sense which made for a flat, predictable and overall inconceivable read. I don't mind stretching the believablity factor if I'm enjoying the ride, but I wanted this one to end quickly.

2.5

The creepy, insidious nature of the plot combined with the really stunning descriptions of the building's Gothic architecture made for a great, spooky read. The atmosphere was really cool.

There was just something about this story that I never connected with. I can't even say anything bad about the book because I really think this is a true "it's not you, it's me" situation.

I have no actual criticisms. I think this would make a great Halloween read. I just wasn't gripped and on the edge of my seat for whatever reason.
Sometimes we just don't connect with stories, not matter how good they are.

If you like creepy school settling for a book, this is one for you. I’m not a big fan, but I did want to try this one. This book did not disappoint! It was suspenseful and the writing was magnificent. There was family drama, strife and turmoil.

Thank you for the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy for my honey opinion.