OMG! I did not know what I was getting into when I requested this book! But, Man oh Man did it deliver! This is a slow-burn thriller and it's definitely worth the hype!
Claudia is a normal single mom, she works as a massage therapist and she has a very hyperactive 4-year-old. Henry is having some hyperactive issues at his preschool, and Claudia is having a hard time handling him and while she is doing her best she feels like she is failing. While talking to her friend who lives at her apartment complex she recommends The Hawthorne School to her, and Claudia decides to check it out. While going on the tour Claudia loves it and loves the teaching methods but she is barely making ends meet now. She expresses these concerns to the woman giving the tour and basically, she ends up volunteering at the school two days a week to help cover the cost of the tuition for Henry.
At first, Claudia is convinced she made the best choice for her son. Then somethings she starts noticing especially how all the food the kids eat is grown on the school grounds. The tea the teachers and headmaster offer her is grown from the school and things get weirder from there!
I could not stop the audiobook towards the end because I had to know what happened! The whole cult build-up was great! I was hooked and the ending was good too!
I listened to the audiobook and I loved it! The narrator spoke clearly and her voice fits well with the story! I definitely recommend this book wether you listen to the audiobook or read the book this is worth the read!

🅐🅤🅓🅘🅞🅑🅞🅞🅚 🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦⁣
Title: The Hawthorne School⁣
Author: Sylvie Perry⁣
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🅢🅤🅜🅜🅐🅡🅨: Claudia is the single mother to four year old Henry. After, Claudia’s mom passed away, Claudia decided to uproot her life and relocate. After having a negative conference regarding Henry, Claudia decided to enroll Henry into The Hawthorne School, which was presented as a scandinavian forest school. The school seemed to immediately help Henry, but not all is as it appears at the school.⁣
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🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦: ⁣
I found the audiobook to be enjoyable. The pace was quick and the narrator did a nice job. Overall, I thought that the book was pretty predictable and as a listener of the story, I found it hard to believe that Claudia did not see what was going on with the school sooner, however, I do understand that when a parent is desperate, they might turn a blind eye to what is right in front of them. ⁣
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I received an ALC from Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review

Claudia would do anything for her son to fit in and be accepted. She’s a single mom raising Henry alone after his father up and left in search of his own happiness. When she hears about the Hawthorne School from her neighbor and friend, Maggie, she decides to check it out despite the fact that she knew it’d carry a heavy tuition that she likely couldn’t afford. Surprisingly, the school offered a deeply discounted tuition in exchange for her volunteer hours, and praised Henry so highly that Claudia couldn’t refuse. In this school she felt accepted and at home, but nothing was actually as it seemed and soon she’d find herself trying to escape alive.

The Hawthorne school is a creepy, intriguing story about a quest for belonging and acceptance. It started off very strong for me, and I was unable to turn the audiobook off. The narrator did a phenomenal job of capturing the listeners interest and read out the characters so well it felt as if I was there myself.

In the middle of the story I found myself losing a little interest due to some heavy repetition of concepts, like Little Green. I felt that the concept was over explained at times and left nothing suspenseful in its wake. Eventually the story wrapped up in a way that I mostly saw coming, though it ended even more darkly than I anticipated. The cult based school sets this story apart from other psychological thrillers.

Despite the predictability and some repetition, I really enjoyed the story that Perry gave us and think it was a great debut novel. I look forward to more psychological reads from her. The beautiful cover photo bumps this book to a solid 4 stars for me.

Creepy School Alert! I am not giving anything away with this Alert! You can tell by the cover of this AUDIOBOOK that something is definitely wrong with the Hawthorne School. We meet Claudia Morgan - a single mother completely overwhelmed by a very hyper and spoiled Henry.. Claudia's mother, who was. a major support to her has recently passed and Claudia is adrift. When Henry's school calls her in to discuss "if it's really the right place for her 4 year old..." she decides to give the secretive Hawthorne School a try.

From the start, she loves it - outdoorsey, nature-based, healthy foods and programming - what's not to love. But there are some deep secrets in this school that Claudia needs to uncover fast! The question is, will she in time?

I did enjoy this novel but I love a dark academia with older kids. Younger children, especially spoiled ones, can be pretty annoying in a book (to me). I would also say that Claudia took a really, really long time to figure out the secrets. All in all, very enjoyable ! I was invested in the story and very curious about the school.

I would recommend to anyone who likes dark academia, has a soft spot for single mothers or interest in cult like schools #NetGalley #TheHawthorneSchool

“The Hawthorne school ideals:
1. Be cooperative.
2. Be loyal.
3. Be just.
4. Be self-controlled.
5. Be humble.
6. Be steady.” -from the Hawthorn School

3 stars

The setting for the gothic dark academia novel is everything, starting with the beautiful cover. It is a well painted picture- so well that you know what is going to happen. How this mom could read those rules and think her son would fit in without being drugged is beyond me. Most of the book you are just wandering the grounds literally sipping the Kool-aid that your kids father who is a drug user has blatantly told you is a drug. The pace for 80% of the book was so slow, in fact when I looked up the book I was sure it would say 600 pages, I was shocked to see it was half that (I had an ARC which doesn’t tell you how long it is). I felt like I was wandering around the grounds doing stupid chores my whole life. As you progress and loose characters I realized I wasn’t emotionally connected to any of them, which is unusual for me. It could be the drugged haze she’s in, but the way the narrator recited and tells you everything is so disconnected I didn’t care. I don’t think it’s a bad book, I loved the premise and setting; it was just a bit disappointing where it all predictably went. I was chanting religious cult from the first meeting.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the first 60% of this book but then it got weird. I was hoping for a twist that I enjoyed more, but I just couldn't get into it. However, from the beginning I was sucked in. I definitely felt for Claudia as a mom, trying to do the very best for her son. She just got way too sucked into the Hawthorne school, and this was creepy and intriguing. While the second half was not for me, I would still recommend this book to those that enjoy thrillers because you might enjoy the ending!

2.5 stars

The concept behind Perry's The Hawthorne School will surely entice dark academia lovers - mysterious old building, strange elderly headmistress, and the main character's descent into slow obsession. However, the execution of said concept - at least for me - faltered on a number of levels.

While the thriller and suspense genres tend to have books that are primarily plot driven, it is still important to have a compelling main character to keep you invested. Perry's protagonist Claudia felt less like a person and more of a vehicle upon which twists could operate. The level of cluelessness that she exhibits is astounding and it is clear that Perry keeps her in that state so that the reveals feel fresh. Considering how much they are telegraphed throughout, it is a ploy that falls flat.

I also found the pacing of the novel to be strange at times. We don't get enough time with the characters outside the school to really establish them individually and Perry's clueless characterization of Claudia allows her to drag out plot points that lose their meaning with repetition. The book also wraps up far too quickly and conveniently; an attempt made to create an eerie bookend with the first and last chapters couldn't even save it.

All in all, The Hawthorne School was a disappointment for me. I hope that the readers out there who would love this book do find it, though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review!

So great concept, great characters. But the writing was a bit cliched, and the plot a bit over the top.


Review copy provided by publisher.

Single mom Claudia Morgan is at her wits end; her four year old son is acting out at preschool. It’s clear that Henry needs a different type of learning environment so when she hears about the Hawthorne School, she’s thrilled. Their unusual curriculum and focus on the arts and outdoor play seems like the perfect solution. Tuition is pricey, but the school has agreed to let Claudia volunteer their in exchange for Henry’s schooling. Henry goes from being an angry child to a very quiet, subservient one. On the surface this seems wonderful, but when her son starts talking about strange rituals in the woods and strange rules, Claudia becomes worried. This is an intelligent and twisted tale of manipulation and abuse of power. I honestly preferred the print version of this, McNamara is a fine reader, but didn’t really add anything to the narrative