Ok now this got me out of a reading slump. I was struggling to find something to catch (and keep) my attention, and this did that! A tiny bit spooky, and a big old (literally old) mystery, and I loved. Wrapped up pretty nicely with a bow, albeit a dark one. Gets a yes!

Coram House was an interesting read that involved elements of mystery, tragedy and history. Although fictional, the book was based on the St. Jospeh’s Orphanage in Vermont. Alex Kelley is the main character in the story, and she moves to Burlington, VT to ghostwrite a book about a fictional orphanage, Coram House, where priests and nuns abused the children who resided there during the mid-40s through 60s.

Alex brought emotional baggage with her on the trip. Her husband recently died and the last book that she published didn’t do well. As Alex’s is doing her research on Coram House, the emotional baggage seems to impact her interactions with others and her ability to function and trust her instincts. There were times I was cheering for her and thinking wow, she is truly brave and other times that I wanted to tell her to get it together.

Despite all the things that Alex did to find the truth, including putting her own life at risk, it was challenging to connect with her. Also, I felt parts of the story dragged and I did some skimming to keep the story going.

It was a good book, but not a great one. Do I regret reading it – No. I appreciated learning about the history of the orphanage, and I appreciated Alex’ tenacity to find the truth and commitment to be true to herself.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#CoramHouse, #BaileySeybolt. #NetGalley

Alex Kelley's writing career has taken a turn for the worse when she is offered the chance to ghostwrite a book about an infamous orphanage, accused of grievous abuses. After signing an NDA and digging into the past goings-on at Coram House, Alex quickly realizes that she may have made a mistake taking on the case.

A bit slow to start and with some plot points that could have used some tightening up, Bailey Seybolt manages to write an atmospheric and compelling debut novel. I can't say that I liked Alex, but I was really compelled by her and Seybolt brings the reader along on something of a wild ride.

I was so intrigued with the story about an old orphanage and a writer uncovering a hidden, covered up murder. But that wasn't what the story was about. And for that, I am truly disappointed.

Alex is contracted to write a true crime novel about an orphanage that had a history of abusing children. It's been shut down. Law suit has been settled. Now the lawyer wants a book. When Alex arrives and starts asking questions about Tommy, a boy who disappeared, people involved in the case start dying.

Much of this book had nothing to do with the plot. There was a lot of nothing that happened. I kept considering DNFing but I kept seeing glowing reviews. So I told myself it had to get better. It didn't. Until the last page I was disappointed. The story focuses on the murders more than the orphanage, which is what I really wanted to know about. There is a single plot twist that I didn't see coming, but the resolution was easy (can't say much more without spoilers). All in all, this is a skip for me. There is a lot of filler. A lot of pages devoted to plot lines, that in the end, really don't matter.

Rating: 2.5 stars (I can't see giving it three so I rounded down to 2)

3 Stars

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

This was one of my highly anticipated books of 2025, but it was kind of a letdown. The plot was good. The writing was okay.

I did not like Alex at all. I thought she was a snobby, rude friend. Yes, she had just lost her husband, but she snapped at the people who wanted to help her.

"It's like once you're broken, no one ever really believes that you can be whole again."

Also, it was mentioned more than once how much she drank. I really thought that was going to play a part in this whole thing, but it wasn't. It was just basically forgotten.

Thank you to Bailey Seybolt, Atria Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was twisty and atmospheric, with characters that I actually cared about/related to. So, I really enjoyed this. I also really like the cover design for this book. I feel that it does a really good job of conveying the atmosphere of the story itself. I enjoyed, too, that the twists and turns in this story actually felt clever and the deception was deserved. I will say, though, that this story didin't hit a stride for me until about 25/30% through, but once it picked up it really picked up.

Thank you to atria books and NetGalley for this arc.

I really enjoyed Coram House. The characters were well developed and the plot was very well thought out. It was dark, twisted, and very atmospheric. I really enjoyed it.

Coram House was a great mystery book that was filled with clever twists. It started out sort of slow for me, but I was quickly sucked into the history and characters. Thanks to Netgally for my ARC ebook!

This stunningly atmospheric debut felt haunted and heavy as ghostwriter Alex Kelly struggles to find the truth about Coram House, a former Catholic orphanage where many bad things happened.

Alex's story is broken up by interview transcripts with former residents of Coram House- adults that were once terrified children, being used and abused by the adults in the house. The abuse they experienced was horrifying, and perhaps just as awful, not many people believe the things they reported. Alex believes she will be the one to put the pieces together and solve the final mysteries of Coram House and she sets out to do just that.

Alex's investigation has her re-interviewing those that are still alive from the Coram House days, interacting with the police, and, unfortunately, finding bodies of people connected to the story. Alex's determination and grit were admirable, even as they place her in bad situations several times.

The audiobook is narrated by multiple narrators, and it is very well done. Using different narrators for the old transcripts was a fantastic choice and let the reader feel like they were listening to the interviews while investigating with Alex, pulling you deeper in to the story.

While this book does bring up hard topics of child abuse (both physical and sexual), it deals with it with a somewhat light touch by not sharing graphic details.

Thank you to Atria for the gifted copy.

Alex Kelley has been asked to be a ghostwriter for a book about an orphanage called Coram House where terrible events occurred. She believes she was chosen because she’s desperate to keep her career afloat after the scandal of her last book. The fact that she signed an NDA, no questions asked, didn’t hurt. She’s been given access to all types of documentation from when lawsuits were brought against the church in the 1980s, but eventually dropped and settled in silence.

But not only is Coram House awash in controversy due to the punishments and abuse of the children, but there are serious allegations of murder that were never proven. She’s told to ignore those, but there’s no way she can overlook the possible death of a child, so she quietly investigates on the side.

Things become real when she discovers a body that traces back to Coram House, and suddenly, she’s thrown into the heart of that investigation. Is someone taking the opportunity of Alex’s investigation to impose justice fifty years later? Or will she be another voice that’s permanently silenced?
I was so immersed in the book that when I read the afterword regarding the real-life St. Joseph’s Orphanage, I had to look that up and read all about it. It’s so sad that there was no one to advocate for those poor children. I love that the author turned that into a story where they do receive justice, even if it’s decades too late and not nearly enough.

I like how the author intersperses sections of dialogue from the deposition tapes, giving the reader firsthand accounts of the characters who spent time there when they were younger. There are some accounts that differ on details, and the reliability of their recollections is called into question. It’s unfortunate, but it’s realistic, and I’m glad that was included in the book. It doesn’t make you doubt the orphans any less, it just shows the varying effects that trauma can have on people, especially children.

This isn’t a story to approach lightly, but it’s one that needs to be told.

Alex is a struggling true crime writer. She gets a job as a ghostwriter in Vermont to write about an orphanage that is being developed into a residential development.

The story is very atmospheric and as Alex speaks to more people and dig into the disappearance of Tommy that happened 50 years ago, things are starting to happen in this small town.

I loved that you didn't know whose story to believe and what really is happening and why are so many people dying and how is this all connected.

There was a full cast of narrators: Cassandra Campbell, Chris Henry Coffey, Jason Culp and Jackie Sanders did a great job with this debut novel.

Thank you @atriabooks @simon.audio for a copy of the book and audiobook.

Coram House: 🏡 ✍️🔎⁣
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Thank you @atriabooks @simon.audio for my gifted copies! #AtriaPartner #simonaudio ⁣
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“Maybe goodness is like a tank of gas—enough bad stuff happens and one day you just run empty. Or maybe evil is a seed, born inside all of us, waiting for the right conditions to thrive.”⁣
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Let’s get into it. This is a great atmospheric debut. It definitely gives the Sharp Objects vibe I heard. The twist is predictable and it felt so satisfying when it was revealed. I really liked this on audio and felt like it was perfect for the season I’m in.⁣
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Audio is full of great readers. I loved the transcripts and was so happy each transcript had their own reader. I felt it really brought it to life. I’ll always listen if Cassandra Campbell is involved, this was no exception.⁣
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Overall, a gritty and atmospheric thriller that deserves all the hype. Out 4/15!

The Coram House Orphanage has a long dark past.
Abuse - mental, physical and sexual - was common.
But did that abuse lead to more than one murder?

Alex Kelley is hired by Alan Stedsan, as a ghostwriter, to reveal the history and secrets of this home that still haunts its former inhabitants. After the success of one book release, followed by a disastrous second release, she is looking to redeem herself. She does so by digging deep into the details, leaving no stone unturned.

While her approach is methodical, she jumps to a series of conclusions more than once, and in the process hindering her assistance from a local detective. I too thought one person was suspect, with a history of bad behavior at the home and after it. But the story isn't quite that simple.

The now abandoned home, awaiting renovations, has a haunting like quality. Given the events that took place in the home, I wouldn't doubt some evil spirits were still lurking. However, it is the living that Alex needs to be careful about. It wasn't always clear who she could trust.

I liked how the story developed, through a series of early interviews, thorough research, and harrowing explorations under frigid conditions, adding a spooky element. And I was surprised by the twist ending, not at all who I expected. Overall, an intense mystery worth checking out.

Thank you Netgalley & Atria Books for an eARC ❤️


You're a journalist hired to write the official history of a defunct orphanage—one of those places with a reputation so dark, the town barely speaks its name. The job seems straightforward at first. Dig through the records, interview the survivors, piece together what really happened. But then you find it—a single, haunting line buried in an old deposition. Fifty years ago, a boy named Tommy drowned on the property. Except no one remembers him. No one wants to talk about it. And the deeper you dig, the more you realize you weren’t hired to uncover the truth. You were hired to bury it deeper. 😳
That’s the chilling premise of *Coram House*, a debut novel that blends true crime grit with the slow-burn dread of a ghost story. Inspired by the real-life horrors of Vermont’s St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Seybolt’s story feels less like fiction and more like a confession the world isn’t ready to hear.
Alex Kelley, the journalist at the heart of it all, is the perfect guide—flawed, grieving, and just reckless enough to keep you yelling at the pages. She’s not some fearless detective; she’s a person chasing a story that might destroy her, and that makes every step into Coram House’s past feel dangerous. The orphanage itself is the real star—a place where the crimes are monstrous, but the silence afterward is even worse. 😩
What makes *Coram House* so unsettling isn’t just the abuse or the cover-ups. It’s the way an entire community can decide, together, to forget. The clergy, the lawyers, the neighbors—they all play a role, and Seybolt doesn’t let anyone off the hook. Even the survivors carry their own secrets, their own guilt. There are no easy villains here, just people who looked away. 💔

Spooky vibes all around. This kept me on my toes! Thank you so much to NetGalley, Atria and Bailey Seybolt for letting me read Coram House before its release!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Coram House had a really interesting premise, but my goodness I found myself struggling. I don't necessarily know why I struggled but this book was just not for me. :( I will revisit it in a few months to see if my opinion changes.

Crime mystery writer Alex Kelley accepts a ghost writing job with unusual restrictions after her last book, once written, proves to be poorly researched and its conclusions wrong. Coram House is a Catholic orphanage closed down in the late 1960s after allegations of abuse. There may or may not be mysterious deaths of at least two orphans that have been covered up. Once Alex arrives, there are very real murders and mysteries. Great storyline based on stories from a real New England orphanage, good pacing, good character development. One irritating thing for me was the constant use of “anyways” instead of the more proper “anyway.” I understand that both are acceptable, specially in common casual dialogue, but it was the same in the non dialogue text. It was irritating and I am surprised a copywriter did not correct

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Coram House early.

Anytime I read a book blurb for a mystery that contains the words "inspired by a true story" my ears immediately perk up. Coram House is a fictional Catholic orphanage that has been non-operational for decades and has been the site of countless child abuse cases. Alex Kelley is hired to ghost write a book about the history of Coram House. When she arrives in Burlington, Vermont she starts to investigate and finds very little cooperation amongst the community as well as a dead body along the lake whilst taking a run one morning.

The first thing I noticed about this novel is the writing. Seybolt is effortless with detail and dialogue, nothing is forced or awkward. It truly made for a seamless mental image throughout my read. I want to say this is a debut, because I did not see any other books under the author's name on Goodreads. If so, I will be looking forward to her sophomore novel (no pressure) when that arrives. The plot, pacing and characters are all well done. At less than 300 pages, this is normally a read-in-one-sitting type of who-dun-it, but alas, spring and allergy eyes kept me from my peak reading performance. And finally, the biggest hooray to report, I was mostly clueless throughout the book, I wasn't able to out guess the author. I love that for my reading journey!

4⭐️ for me

A twisty mystery thriller focused on the intertwining of past wrongs and current crimes. Good character development that reveals more to you as the story goes on. Good pace throughout the book that will keep you interested and coming back for more.

Wow, this book really sucked me in quickly! It was slow but also perfectly paced to allow me to immerse myself in the story. I enjoyed the dual timelines of present day and the recordings from the 1980s and how the past was woven into the present. There were also a few unexpected twists that I appreciated!