This was so good. I loved the storytelling in the characters. I would definitely read more from this author in the future highly recommend.

I thought that this was a really unique sort of gothic psychological thriller. I think that Claudia as a character seemed a little slow to catch on at times, but I think that can also be explained by a mother who is seemingly out of options and desperate to help her child. I found the story itself to keep a pretty steady pace, and overall I thought that the end wrapped up nicely.

How much would you do for your child? Claudia is desperate for help with her son. Though Henry is only 4, he seems to be constantly in trouble at school. Claudia finds out about a school that maybe too good to be true. They offer him a spot, and her! Have you ever been so desperate for something to work that you ignored or didn’t see what was in front of you?

Thank you to NetGalley for opportunity to read this book!

I was really expecting to love this one with its creepy, gothic school setting, but I only slightly enjoyed it, I wish it would have lived up to the hype.

I just realized I never wrote a review here for this one. I apologize for the delay. I was just unaffected by this book. I never really got into it, I just kind of picked it up in between other reads. I love any kind of dark academia vibe, but this just kind of missed the mark a little for me. I did include it in a round-up for my followers. I think some would like it more than I did, but I just don’t have great things to say about it, sadly. I would definitely revisit this author, but just can’t get excited about this particular book.

I enjoyed the listening experience, but I thought the main character was so incredibly naive (almost) to the point it irritated me. I’ll also say the dialogue didn’t feel the most natural and—without spoiling anything—I thought the content was pretty creepy.

This was pretty decent thriller. Nothing new or life changing, but it was still a good read. I will say this was predicable and saw the twists coming from a mile away.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The Hawthorne School by Sylvie Perry is about a single mother, Claudia, who has a young son who is less than easy to manage. Suddenly, Claudia's worries are taken away when she finds a new specialty school. The only caveat is she has to work and follow the rules for the scholarship.

I listened to this book in November of 2021 and am reviewing this in May 2022. The narrator Nan McNamara did a good job. The book itself was a dark story about when trying to do the best for your child can actually do more harm. I found Claudia to be highly naïve, but I can see how many do fall into cults. This whole story is basically about falling into a cult and then trying to fight a way out while protecting a child. The premise was good but I really did struggle because there was never a good pull to want to continue the story. I found it to be predictable.

3 Stars because I did finish it and I did like the premise. I remember details which when I review books even days later is not always the case. I also remember not liking the book. Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Sylvie Perry and Nan McNamara for the free copy. This was an honest review.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't what I expected. I didn't enjoy the audiobook.

This book was an intense read. I was so invested in it, that I couldn't stop listening. ALso the voice of the reader calmed me down, and sent my brain on a vacation.

Not at all what I expected. I was really not into it and wasn’t able to finish. I hope to come back to reading it soon but for now I need to put it down

I did not enjoy this book. I also struggled understanding the narrator. The premise behind this book had me so intrigued but I don’t enjoy this. I think there were so many issues with the plot line and characters. This whole story was such a letdown and was underwhelming.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I thought this was a well written book. I did see the twist at the end coming but I still enjoyed the book. Though I will warn you, you're going to be screaming at the main character through the whole book for being such a poor decision maker.

Thanks #netgalley for the chance to read #hawthorne school".

4.5 stars. I loved this book and don't understand the low rating on Goodreads of 3.3. It said in the blurb if I loved Riley Sager, I'd love this one. I had never read Riley Sager, until after I read The Hawthorne School. My library's book club was reading this one by Riley Sager, so I decided to listen to it. But it turned out I greatly disliked that book, but it was one of his lowest-rated books on Goodreads, Survive the Night, 3.5 stars. Back to The Hawthorne School though! The characters for the most part were well-done and the atmosphere was great! I hated putting the book down; it just sucked you in and didn't want to let you go.

I had received an audio e-ARC of this from the publisher through NetGalley, but couldn't get it to download, I finally found a copy on Hoopla that I could listen to and am so glad I did. I'm a former Illinois native and this school is said to be located on Route 171 in the made up town of Willow Down; since I lived in the near west-southwest suburbs for many years from my recollection Rt. 171 would be Archer Avenue, which runs through the suburb of Willow Springs.

There was definitely a creepy vibe in the book which is from what they referred to as "gothic". I was more interested in the cult part, and watching how it slowly sucked the character in without her knowledge. It could create some great discussions on cults and how they affect people's behavior, how people can get out of them, personalities that they glom on to, etc.

Creepy mystery that pulled me in early. There are some creepy aspects that peaked my interest and activated my brain. I felt my imagination taking me steps ahead to make predictions, which kept me engaged, but overall I didn’t find the book predictable. I did find that it lacked an overall “wow” factor which was why I rated it as just an average read.

I absolutely loved the gothic fell to the imagery of the setting. The narration of this audio book was really enjoyable.

Special thanks to #Dreamscapemedia #NetGalley #TheHawthorneSchool for access to this audiobook in exchange for an unsolicited, honest review.

This book is definitely on the unique side. It’s well written and quite a bit of fun though it does get slow at times.
Claudia Morgan is a single mother trying to do the best she can but she has an unruly four year old, Henry, who is giving her trouble and also his preschool. Feeling overwhelmed, when she hears about a school that has a different approach to teaching that happens to be near to her home she decides to check it out. The Hawthorne school is gorgeous and has everything she could ask for for Henry. He’ll have music, art, outside playtime and the head of the school even offered to let Claudia volunteer in order to cover the cost of the tuition.
Henry’s troubles seem to disappear, proving the school is good for him. However, there is just something that seems somewhat off with the school. The head mistress is incredibly enigmatic and the school itself is kept chilly. Soon, Henry begins telling her stories of rituals and ceremonies in the woods. Of course, Henry also thinks the school is a fairy tale castle and he’s awaiting the day the giant comes. Claudia gets pretty wrapped up in the school but soon she starts to question many things.
I don’t want to tell you too much about this story because I don’t want to ruin it all for you. It’s not a bad story at all but it does seem to slow down at times where nothing is really happening or it backtracks a bit too much. Still, in the end it’s a decent story and one I enjoyed. It’s different which also made it more fun.

This book was really good! It had hits the right amount of spooky to keep me on my toes and listening into the dark of night. I doublet stop reading! I also listened to this novel as an audio book and the narrator had the perfect voice for every character in the novel.
I would recommended this book to anyone that likes a thriller and a mystery!

Single mother thinks she finds the perfect school for her son. Maybe too perfect... Twisty rollercoaster of a book well written and enjoyable.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Single mom Claudia is having trouble raising her four year old son. He causes so much trouble for his teachers, constantly getting into trouble. So, when Claudia interviews for a spot for her son at a prestigious private school that she couldn't possibly afford, warning flags go up. But, her son, Henry, just loves it there and the headmistress offers her a deal, volunteering and working there to offset the cost of the tuition. Again, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is, and in this case? What unravels is quite alarming and enjoyable to listen to.