4.25/5 stars! This is a thriller based on a true story by author Bailey Seybolt. I loved our main character, a once successful and now unrelevant true crime writer. I felt her emotions deeply and was rooting for her. This book has heavy themes of abuse, but was handled delicately. I do love a thriller where I can't guess the twists. Will be looking for more books by this author.

This book grabbed my attention and held on, but it was overly detailed at times and by 70% into it, I just wanted it to be over. The MC, Alex, travels to Vermont to write a book about an Orphanage that is said to have been filled with staff that abused children. Alex focuses on trying to find out what happened to Tommy, a child that was supposedly drowned by a nun. As she tries to unravel the story, the people she interviews begin to get murdered. I was annoyed that she develops “tunnel vision” and only wants to view one suspect as the murderer. I mean, come on…she’s done research for crime-writing, she’s not new to this and should know to keep an open mind.
The book was very atmospheric, but I predicted the murderer very early on. I still enjoyed the wild chase Alex went on to find answers though. The incorporation of police interviews from the past were a nice touch!

A snowy, remote town, and abandoned orphanage, a missing child case – what more could you ask for in a book? If you’re looking to cool down with the rising temperatures, Coram House is a book that will put you in a chillier mindset.

In 1968, a nine-year-old child vanishes from the Coram House orphanage. One minute he’s there, one minute he’s gone – did he run away? Or did something more sinister happen at the hands of the harsh nuns leading the property? Struggling true crime writer Alex Kelley is hired nearly fifty years later to help tell Tommy’s story. But as she starts to put pieces together, it becomes clear that someone in the town doesn’t want her figuring out the truth.

This is both chilling and slow burn at the same time. On one hand, I was addicted to the story and desperate to learn more, but on the other hand I wish the pace had been just a touch faster. I feel like the first and last 25% moved quickly, but the details in the middle slowed me down a bit.

If you enjoy a small town mystery, a true crime “unravel the web of lies” story, and a plot twist that you don’t quite anticipate at the end (I surely didn’t see the twist coming), then this is one you will enjoy!

Wasn’t a fan of the ending it felt sloppy and rushed. It started off kinda good but the ending kinda ruined it for me

Firstly, I respect that this was inspired by a true story. Obviously what happened to those children is horrific and they deserve to have their story told again and again. Coram House is an interesting plot, but it was quite slow. Then at the very end it’s boom- it’s over. And the main character was a little annoying, I was yelling at her in my head a lot.

As she grieves the loss of her husband and her reputation, disgraced author Alex Kelley heads to Vermont to write about a now-defunct orphanage. As she digs into the (fairly gruesome) history of Coram House, Alex discovers a boy named Tommy, who some say ran away… but others say he was drowned by one of the nuns. When Alex starts asking questions, the people who might know the answers start to die under mysterious circumstances.

Alex seemed very self absorbed and distrustful of everyone. Meanwhile, she is doing things she knows are unwise, like going alone to the home of a drunk guy she met at the police station. Although I didn’t connect with her character, the story held my interest and kept me guessing - in the end, the murderer was not who I expected. Overall a solid debut - I look forward to the next one by this author.

This book has a good plot but the execution needs work. The chapters are far too long and certain chapters can be removed completely. It was ok but I was left feeling disappointed.

This book is the very definition of an atmospheric read. The sense of place is extremely strong and the unanswered questions having you turning the pages quickly to learn more. The ending I did not see coming until right before the reveal. A smart and engaging read. Definitely recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 Stars)
Novels inspired by true events? I’m all in. Real-life stories fascinate me, but sometimes the presentation falls flat. Not here! "Coram House" is mysterious and eerie.

Set against the backdrop of a Vermont orphanage with a chilling history of abuse, this book follows Alex, a struggling true crime writer trying to revive her career. She takes on a ghostwriting project about Coram House but becomes obsessed with the mystery of a missing boy who seems to have vanished from everyone’s memory. Did he even exist? Is she chasing shadows? I loved how determined she was—digging deeper than the job required.

And when Alex discovers a dead body (yep 😳), she’s convinced it’s connected. The police? Not so much. They think she’s trying to revive her dying career. And the subplot behind her dying career adds a whole extra layer of tension.

What really hit me hard is that this story—heartbreaking and haunting—is rooted in reality. Children were abused by the very people meant to protect them. That truth made the story disturbing and emotional.

I had my theories about the conclusion, but it still caught me off guard in the best way possible! If you enjoy psychological thrillers that echo real-life issues, put "Coram House" on your reading list.

📚 Have you read it yet? What did you think? 👀

❓Do you have any stories in your family about orphanages? My grandma and her brother got separated when they were young, and she ended up with an aunt while he went into an orphanage. Thankfully, they reunited later in life, but it always made family a top priority for her!

Thanks to the author and Atria Books for providing this eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#CoramHouse #BookReview #BaileySeybolt #Atria #NetGalley #TrueCrimeFiction #BookLovers #PsychologicalThriller #Bookstagram #BasedOnTrueEvents

Bailey Seybolt's "Coram House" certainly benefits from its intriguing foundation in a true story, a fact I genuinely appreciated. Knowing the narrative has roots in real events added a layer of depth and poignancy that I always find compelling. However, while the historical basis was a definite draw, the execution unfortunately didn't quite capture my attention as much as I had hoped. The story unfolded at a pace that felt somewhat uneven, and I found myself occasionally struggling to fully connect with the characters and their journeys. While the premise held immense potential, the narrative didn't consistently grip me in the way I anticipated. Overall, "Coram House" is a worthwhile read for those interested in historical fiction with a factual backbone, but it fell slightly short of being a truly captivating experience for me.

As a Vermont resident since 2020 this opened my eyes to a story within my own state I had not yet investigated myself. This story was very well done and reading it in the tail end of the long Vermont winter served in adding to the overall reading experience and atmosphere.

Thanks to Atria Books for the widget. While this was a more slow thriller I was highly entertained and I will say I did not see this coming. Alex after losing her husband and her last book disaster goes to write a story about Coram House a orphanage where lots of bad things happened. Kids disappeared, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and worse things. When Alex arrives bodies start dropping and the further she investigates the worse it gets.

Cold case mysteries are always a must read and I enjoyed this look into a disgraced orphanage. This was interesting since it was based on a real orphanage (St. Joseph’s) and I found myself wondering how much was directly pulled and what was fictionalized. Alex had a lot of gumption and probably stuck her nose in places it didn’t belong but I would be nosy and want to know the truth too. Overall, a good mystery that is easy to read.

I really enjoyed this slow-burn thriller -- it definitely isn't the most fast paced but it held my attention and I was very curious to find out how things would wrap up.

I really enjoyed the writing and having just visited Burlington for the first time last year, loved reading about it! I thought the sense of place and mood / tone were really well done and I felt very unsettled while reading it.

There were many times that I wanted to shake Alex -- she wasn't making the best choices and I felt really worried for her!

I'm excited to see what Bailey Seybolt writes next, I will definitely be checking it out!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

3.5 rounded up!

An old orphanage sitting on a lakeside cliff and a true crime writer tasked with ghost-writing the events that took place there - seems straightforward enough until the bodies start to fall.

"You can leave Coram House but you can't leave it behind."

CORAM HOUSE by Bailey Seybolt is a debut that has all of the elements of a fantastic atmospheric thriller, but they were laid out in a way that didn't fully make it so.

Starting with the good (the great, even!) - I really loved the police transcripts that flashed back to Coram House and the kids that saw and experienced dreadful acts there. They added a fast pace to a story that often dragged, and added extra characterization (if shallow) to an otherwise single narrator-forward story.

The atmosphere surrounding this small Vermont town with a sordid history was eerie and extremely cold and I enjoyed seeing the lake play as big a role in this story as it did!

What didn't really work for me as hinted at above was the decision-making behind our main character and how her choices felt entitled, while slowing the story down immensely. Alex has obviously been through some stuff, but she very much had that "outsider coming in to shake things up" feel to her while everyone around her seemed to also fall in love with her?!

I genuinely think this story could have hit harder for me if the protagonist was stronger.

Either way, I'm intrigued to see what Seybolt's sophomore novel offers up!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review - out now!

As a true crime fan I absolutely LOVED this book and couldn’t stop turning the pages. Complete with a historic orphanage and chilling setting - this was an excellent read.

Fans of twists and historical thrillers will love this one! I thought the pacing was perfect and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Seybolt in the future!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this eerie title!**

4.25 Stars ⭐️

Bailey Seybolt’s debut novel has a lot going for it. I was aware of it for some time now as it is based around a real story of an orphanage in Burlington, Vermont that had a history of abuse. My brother lived in Burlington for a number of years, so am familiar with this are area which always adds interest for me.

Really loved the Crime Writer, Alex. She has been dealing with so much grief after losing her husband and is afraid great writing and finding out the truth has slipped past her. She is frightened of herself, but at heart, she truly cares about the children hurt so many years ago. She seeks to find Why did it happen, why would someone act in such a way? The book had some twists and turns I liked. It was a good read as a Mystery and also as a tribute to the real children who were abused. Making them count.

There is a lot of heart in this book. Alex can be tough when she needs to be, but she connects so well to the people both living and dead that she investigates. You feel her compassion and need to make sure the story is written correctly.

Overall, really enjoyed this book. Great mystery with many different characters involved. All are not as they seem and it was good finding out how the story came together.


Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book.

CORAM HOUSE is a haunting, surprising novel steeped in grief and shadowed with gothic undertones. Alex, an investigative writer, is tasked with ghostwriting the history of a Vermont orphanage. As she sorts through the accounts of so much harm, she finds the untold story of a boy who disappeared at Coram House fifty years earlier. This is not a thread she can let go, but following it makes this much more than a job for her.

From the very first page, I was drawn in by its atmosphere - there’s just something about a mystery set against the biting cold. The setting does so much heavy lifting here, including the House itself, which feels almost like its own character. Grief isn’t just a theme in this book - it’s a lens through which everything is seen, blurring the lines between good judgment and desperation.

I was impressed with how seamlessly the story wove in true historical cases. Alex’s two previous investigations are based on real events, and it added a layer of weight to the work she is doing at Coram House. That said, some of the content - especially related to child abuse - was difficult to read. It’s handled with care, but it still left me shaken.

This is a powerful and engaging read that
lingers long after the final page. CORAM HOUSE is a gothic mystery that doesn’t just ask the reader to solve a puzzle—it asks us to sit with our grief and wonder what we might be capable of under the weight of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

Coram House is a chilling, atmospheric slow burn mystery inspired by true events at Vermont’s infamous St. Joseph’s orphanage. True crime writer Alex Kelley is hired to ghostwrite a book about the horrors rumored to have occurred at Coram House—especially the mysterious disappearance of a young boy named Tommy, said to have drowned at the hands of a nun… or did he run away?

As Alex investigates, people begin dying, and it becomes clear she may be dangerously close to uncovering long-buried truths.

While I was initially drawn in by the premise and comparisons to Sharp Objects, the slow pacing was a struggle for me. That said, the eerie setting was masterfully done—I could almost feel the cold air rolling in off the lake—and I appreciated the use of different formats like interview transcripts and recordings from those who once lived at Coram House. These details made the story feel hauntingly real.

This book wasn’t the perfect fit for me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t resonate with others. If you enjoy slow burn mysteries that dig into real-life tragedies and build tension through atmosphere and dread rather than action, this might be your next great read. Be sure to check out other reviews to see how different readers experienced it!

“But that’s just how memory works. Something horrible happens and you tell yourself it wasn’t real; you lock it in a dark closet where the nightmares live. You make this true by the force of your will, at least until someone opens that door by mistake.”

Coram House is inspired by a true story, following struggling crime writer Alex Kelley who’s sent to Burlington, Vermont to ghostwrite a book about the mysterious orphanage where Tommy, a nine-year-old boy, vanished decades earlier.

2.5 stars. I really really wanted to love this book but it took me 10 days to finish it and I skim read probably 1/3 of it. I can usually fly through a great thriller in a day.

I live in New England so I am always ready for a creepy atmospheric thriller set in the woods in an old abandoned building. But this story just draggeddddd and there was no big reveal at the end to even make the slow burn worth the effort. The story wasn’t fresh or new, I didn’t know enough about Tommy to be dying to know what happened to him, and the orphanage didn’t even feel that creepy. A miss for me.

Thank you anyway to Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for the complimentary ARC.