I loved this book. So well written. I found this book unputdownable!!

In a remote area of Vermont, outside the small town of Barrons, a girl runs through the isolated, gloomy forest. She is running from someone or something. As the chapter continued, I could hear a Hitchcockesque soundtrack playing in my head. The prologue of The Broken Girls hooked me. I spent the rest of the book wondering who or what the girl was really running from, and worrying about the terrifying apparition.

Author Simone St. James latest novel is excellent. It is part ghost story and part mystery. Ms. St. James tells her tale in dual time periods as well as from multiple perspectives. There are a few story threads being woven together in The Broken Girls. One story is of the disappearance of Sonia, a student at Idlewild Hall in 1950. Another story is of the aftermath of the 1994 murder of Deb Sheridan, whose body was found at Idlewild long after the school had been closed. Lastly, there is the present-day story of Deb’s sister, Fiona, who is still haunted by her death.

From the first page to the last, this book was absolutely chilling! The constant sense of dread and foreboding had me on the edge of my seat. Ms. St. James’ historical research of events influencing a main character/storyline is apparent, and the resulting realism creates an eeriness to her tale. The book features the girls who roomed in Clayton 3C at Idlewild Hall. Sonia, CeCe, Roberta and Katie’s individual histories, which has landed them in the God-forsaken school, is tragic and heartbreaking. The author’s depiction of modern-day Fiona Sheridan, a journalist, is equally heart wrenching. The ghost of Mary Hand, whose death was no less tragic than these girls’ existence, traumatizes each of the girls. Whether the story of Idlewild’s Ghost, the students of the school, or Fiona, the girls were troubled by something and silenced by a situation or a person. Fiona is so broken by her sister’s death that she can’t form solid love relationships and she can’t find the motivation to propel her career forward.

Fiona’s relationship with local policeman, Jamie Creel, seemed to almost be a convenient afterthought in the story. At first their romance seems a bit serendipitous, but as the story progresses, I seriously questioned Jamie’s motives. This relatively casual relationship becomes the catalyst that catapults The Broken Girls from mournful ghost story to paging-turning mystery. Even further in the story I was longing for Jamie and Fiona’s relationship to be a predestined dramatic love story despite how history and life in a small town was dragging them down like a pair of cement shoes.

As the story tension rises to a crescendo that could only be likened to a banshee’s cry, all the “troubled” girls in this story are forced to reckon with their own ghosts and become stronger for it. If this isn’t a story featuring “girl power”, I don’t know what would be considered one.

This Gothic suspense novel is more mystery than horror. It is a perfect choice for book clubs, with at least one published set of suggested discussion questions. The Broken Girls will appeal to fans of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I was intrigued by the description of The Broken Girls, but I didn’t anticipate how good it was going to be!

This is one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time. It takes two murders in two different generations and brings them together in a abandoned, haunted boarding school. I enjoyed the point of view chapters that switch from past to present and weave the supernatural throughout it all. I highly recommend this book!!!

This book was interesting. I liked trying to figure out two stories at the same time that intertwined. I also liked the historical fiction elements of the story, even though the history wasn’t that long ago. If you dislike ghost stories, this won’t be up your alley. But if you like mysteries and are looking for one with a bit of a twist, then I’d recommend this book. There are some solid friendship elements and relationship elements to this story too. I look forward to reading St. James’ next book.

What a great and captivating book!

One the 1950s timeline we have a group of friends who are attending a boarding school called Idlewild Hall. They are devastated to learn that one of their close friends has mysteriously disappeared without a trace and, to make matters more intriguing, the school grounds are said to be haunted.

On the 2014 timeline we have Fiona, whose sister was murdered twenty years ago and dumped on Idlewild. Fiona is still struggling with her sister's murder and she becomes unsettled when she learns those grounds are being restored. Fiona starts an investigation and we take a thrilling journey with her.

The story is narrated by multiple characters and the timeline alternates between the 1950s and 2014. I had a great time with this book, it was engaging, thrilling, and a pleasure to read.

The novel has elements of mystery, thriller, history and female friendship. Overall, I loved it and highly recommend it to readers of historical and contemporary fiction, mysteries and thrillers.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley

A Vermont boarding school known to be haunted by the ghost of Mary Hand and the site for a disappearance and a murder is going to be reopened. Journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot help becoming involved as her sister had been murdered there and she was never quite satisfied with the results of the investigation. The story alternates from the present day back to the 1950's with a story of four girls at the boarding school. The book moved well and I really enjoyed the Mary Hand part of the story--in fact I wish there was more of that; it was creepy and compelling. The other storylines were a bit of a stretch.

It’s rare for me to enjoy a book that blurs the lines between genres, sometimes books that straddle two (or more) genres read kind of messy to me but when I can find an author that manages to blend several genres in a coherent and seamless manner, well, I’m thrilled! The Broken Girls was at it’s core a mystery but it also had historical elements and just enough of the supernatural to be creepy yet plausible.

This is told in dual timelines, you have Fiona in 2014 who is a journalist with painful ties to Idelwild Hall then it also flips back to 1950 when Idelwild Hall was a school for wayward girls and you hear from four friends and roommates. Initially it had a somewhat slower start, but around the halfway point things picked up for me and I was hooked. Fiona and her backstory did reel me in early on but it took me a bit longer to become invested in the four girls, but once I was in, I was all in. Their individual stories were terribly sad and sometimes tragic but their time together at Idelwild Hall was disturbing and at times shocking.

This was an eerily atmospheric read, both narratives are set in Vermont and St. James did an amazing job at creating a hauntingly beautiful setting. The sections in the past were downright scary at times but the more recent chapters were also freaky as the school was long ago abandoned and derelict. Add in a purported ghost named Mary Hand and a handful of cold cases begging to be solved and you have the perfect combination of intrigue and fear. This was a really solid read for me from a talented writer, if you don’t mind a small dose of the supernatural in your mysteries then you should check this one out!

The Broken Girls in three words: Creepy, Chilling and Captivating.

I am an eclectic reader. There are several things that will draw me to a book. First and foremost is if a book is a mystery. Check, this one is. Are there supernatural undertones? Check again. This book also has multiple points of view and we bounce back and forth between time periods.

We are taken into 1950 and a place called Idlewild Hall in Vermont. Idlewild is a boarding school. This seems to be a school where girls are place when their parents don’t want them around. Considering the time period these girls were shipped off or hidden away so they would not be an embarrassment for their parents. Four of the girls become very close friends, and then one mysteriously disappears.

We are then transported to 2014. The thread that connects the past to the present is the school. In the 1950s when one of the girls goes missing the head of the school figures she has run away. This just shows how little the school administration feels about their charges. Her friends don’t believe that she ran away. They think she was murdered.

In the present time Fiona Sheridan, a journalist gets involved when someone decides to reopen the school. She is going to do a story on the place. Her connection? Twenty years before, her sister’s murdered body was found on the school’s grounds. Her sister’s boyfriend has been in prison all these years, convicted of her murder. Fiona never believed that he killed her. She is determined to find out what really happened. You just know that this is not a good idea.

If I had to choose one of the time periods as my favorite it would definitely be the past. The author made me care so much about the girls that are considered broken. Oh, did I mention the school has a ghost called Mary Hand? What is her backstory? This is what adds that exceptional creep factor. For some reason I seem to start these books at night and then can’t put them down until I finished them. The problem with this one is that is was just creepy enough to scare me whenever I heard a noise. It has been a while since I’ve read a book that has so captivated me. I have not read any of her other works but that will definitely change. There is something about the Gothic period set against the present time that seems to work. I can’t recommend this book enough. You definitely must read this book. I just wouldn’t recommend you read it at night or when it is stormy out, unless you want to have your pants scared off.

This book comes out March 20th. Be prepared.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Wow! Just wow! This is an amazing story. It starts of with a very intense first chapter and just keeps going from there. And it has it all. It's a ghost story. It's a mystery. There are twists. There's a bit of historical fiction. And there are relationships to work through. Like I said, there's a little bit of everything so it should appeal to a lot of people.

And once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. This is definitely a book you will want to block off time for because it will draw you in and it won't let go. I'm going to be adding this author to my must-read author list.

I prefer her post-WWI books, but this one was good, too. The two narratives were woven together really well. The modern-day heroine was likable, although the girls from the historical timeline were possibly more intriguing, and I would have liked more of their stories. There was a "twist" that I did see coming, but the people responsible for the past and the present crimes weren't obvious from the start and went directions I wasn't entirely expecting. The ghost element felt less intrinsic to the story than in her previous books, so I could've gone either way on that. But I do really enjoy St. James' writing and always look forward to a new book from her!

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James is a mystery/thriller read that has supernatural elements to it. Told in alternating timelines from several points of view the books was still easy to follow and one that will captivate the reader on the mystery side but give chills with the ghostly elements.

In 2014, Fiona Sheridan is a journalist who was once touched by tragedy when the body of her sister was found. Her sister’s boyfriend at the time was tried and convicted of the murder but Fiona has never thought the details sounded right and has always questioned just what happened that horrific night.

When Fiona finds out that the nearby Idlewild Hall is going to be restored she decides to run a piece on the property that was once a boarding school for troubled teen girls. There have always been rumors and ghost stories flying around about the property and now with the current renovations a discovery has been made that sends Fiona’s investigation back to the past.

In 1950 at Idlewild Hall four of the troubled girls that reside at the school bond together and become friends. Katie, Sonia, Cece, and Roberta have heard about the mysterious lady in black that is supposed to haunt the grounds of Idlewild Hall but then one of the girls goes missing and the adults are writing her off as a runaway.

The writing within The Broken Girls was wonderful and it didn’t take long to become fully engrossed in the story. The changing timelines and alternating points of view were easily followed as the layers of the story unfolded. Whether one believes in ghosts or things that go bump in the night or not this is sure to be one that will still entertain readers from beginning to end. When finished I’d definitely recommend checking out the haunting mystery.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

One of my favorite types of books, a thriller book that has two plot lines going, one in the present and one in the past. Our current day plot has Fiona Sheridan and she is a journalist who has returned to her small home town in Vermont and is barely making ends meet and not quite doing the journalism she wishes she were so she goes looking for the type of story she would want to write. In 1950, in the same small town in Vermont is a girls boarding school that is meant for girls who come from all sorts of trouble.

The reader knows from the beginning of a few of the links between the past and the present, but there are more and they are discovered at just the right time! Fiona has her own past with this girls school and she is having to confront it while also finding out about the past behind this creepy school that is now abandoned.

I loved that Simone St James made this school almost a character in and of itself. We spend time in the school in 1950 when it is open as a boarding school and we go back in a few times in the present as it is old and abandoned and I could picture it both times and the school itself creeped me out!

I think of myself as a pretty hardy reader! I don't get scared too often enough that I need to put the book down, but this one creeped me out so bad! It didn't help that I was home alone, but oh goodness this one is so good it will make you shiver!

This was a totally engrossing book, and I don't want to give too much of the plot away because it's just so fun to discover as you read. (Ok, "fun" is probably not the right word... it's too dark for that.) There's a sort of double mystery going on with the boarding school student who disappears in the 1950s and then the girl who is murdered in the 1980s. The latter's sister, Fiona, is a journalist who is researching both as she works on a story about the pending restoration of Idelwild Hall. In all three timelines, Idelwild is a sinister, forbidding, menacing presence. Mary Hand, a girl who predates all of the characters, may or may not be haunting the grounds, and their experiences with her are downright creepy.

The way St. James weaves all of these girls together along with some very serious subject matter is so complex and yet it's only upon finishing that I was able to step back and see how complicated he plotting was. Part of that is because her descriptions are so vivid that I was completely sucked in. There were, of course, a fair number of female characters, but they were all distinct enough that keeping them apart was never really an issue.

So this was really, really good. The two things that kept it from 5 stars were a) the solving of the 1950s mystery required a bit too much coincidence and b) some revelations that led to the solving of the 1980s mystery were a bit slow in coming for the reader. Otherwise, this was an expertly crafted genre bending book - the mystery and suspense, the ghost story, the young women coming of age... Well done. I can't wait to read another by St. James if all her books are this good!

Not only is The Broken Girls beautifully haunting but it is beautifully written. The kind of story that can both put goose bumps on your arms and tears in your eyes. It keeps you guessing, it keeps you reading, it keeps your attention and more than anything else, it leaves you wanting more by the end.

This story is so complex in its simplicity. It is about a time when women, when girls, still didn't have a voice and were looked down upon and controlled by those both older than them and of a different gender.

It deals with grief, in all its ugly shapes, sizes and forms and makes the outcome of it all so very touching, so very wonderful in it's power of those lost girls coming together and forming their own family, their own destiny, and most of all, not sitting by and letting other dictate who and what they were suppose to be.

Told in alternating times and point of views, this was so easy to fall into. Into the story, into the mystery and into the lives of these five girls who couldn't be more different from one another in almost every way imaginable.

With a blend of historical, mystery and a slight paranormal edge, this really was a read that stood out and will be one for everyone.

My comment halfway through: Just enough mystery to keep me turning pages and just enough creepy to make me want to read it with the lights on.
This book alternates between 5 characters and back and forth from Fiona in 2014 and the four Idlewild roommates in 1950 (Roberta, Katie, CeCe, and Sonia). It did take until about halfway through the book (at least) for me to remember these names and their character traits and backgrounds. I had to keep flipping back through to remember different details. However, despite being a little annoying, it really was very fluid. I couldn’t wait to get back to 2014 and then back to 1950 and back to each character.
What appealed to me most about this book was the description about Idlewild Hall, “There’s a place for girls whom no one wants—the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good.” I felt like perhaps I could relate to these characters and I wanted to know their stories. It was a haunting story, but not necessarily because of the supernatural element of Mary. What got me was the idea of Idlewild in earlier years and the police corruption in 2014.
With 5 main characters (and many voices we don’t hear from explicitly), there is a lot to relate to. I connected with each of the roommates in empathetic ways. When this happens you hope for a satisfying ending and while I do feel like it was rushed just a tad in relation to Fiona and how the truth unfolds, it was a complete and fulfilling ending.
Mild trigger warning: Each girl has a trauma of some sort, they are all dealt without great detail, but they happened and they’re processed. The two that are the loudest are: one witnessed a suicide attempt, one was or almost was sexually assaulted.

How suspenseful and gripping! This book had me turning the pages from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book!!

The Broken Girls is a super readable, enjoyable new book by Simone St. James. The author's talent for combining the paranormal and mysteries shines in this story, where the ghostly element is just a small part of the many secrets hidden in the history of this small, decaying city. There's so much tragedy in this story, and the story of Fiona's fight to understand what really happened to her sister twenty years earlier, and its relationship to the local boarding school, was terribly intriguing. I found the 1950s timeline slightly less compelling, though figuring out the link to the present storyline was exciting.

I really enjoyed this one. It was a nice blend of gothic and mystery. It was a little slow in the beginning which made it hard to get into.

It alternated between the past, Vermont 1950, and "present," Vermont 2014. Each with their own set of characters and intertwining plots. I found that I was more interested in the girls of Idlewild Hall -- Roberta, CeCe, Sonia, and Katie -- than I was in Fiona. They felt more well-rounded and fully fleshed out.

Alternating between time periods is an interesting literary device and can work well if both plot lines are given the same care and attention. I just wasn't as invested in Fiona or her love life. I found myself antsy to get back to the girls than I was in reading about Fiona's entanglements.

All in all, it was a well written book. I enjoyed the majority of it, and look forward to what else the author has in store.

Dark, haunting and edgy, THE BROKEN GIRLS by Simone St. James tells both the dark history of a private girls’ school and a twisted ghost story that may be shrouding the answers to disappearances and death.

The unwanted girls were sent to Idlewild Hall. Some were “dirty little secrets, some far too brilliant and precocious, but all were troubled, short on trust in a world that seemed to turn its back on them. Rumor had it the school was haunted by the ghost of a young girl, was it true? Should she be feared or was she a guardian of sorts?

It was 1950 and four girls would form a bond that would not be broken. They became friends, family and confidants who had each other’s backs. Then one of them disappeared and she would not be the last…

Fast forward to 2014 where a free-lance journalist is determined to dig up the ghosts of the past as the long abandoned school is being renovated and rebuilt. Fiona has a vested interest in Idlewild. Her sister was found murdered there twenty years before and she cannot help but feel there is more to her sister’s death than what was discovered, but she never knew how much was hidden within the halls of Idlewild. If walls could talk, what would be revealed? If Fiona could find survivors from all those years before, would she be prepared for what she heard?

Dark, foreboding, and often heartbreaking, this is the story of girls cast off from society, whose lives mean little to the outside world, but someone remembers and someone will honor the rare trusts that were built. Perhaps more than a legendary ghost will be laid to rest.

Simone St. James has taken dark mysteries to a new level with an atmosphere that is almost oily to the touch. Feel the pain that breathes within this tale, as history gives up its secrets to the present. Intriguing reading that held me to each page like a moth to a flame.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Berkley!

Publisher: Berkley (March 20, 2018)
Publication Date: March 20, 2018
Genre: Thriller | Suspense
Print Length: 334 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

I have some intense reading lined up for March, and I needed a good mystery to balance out the heavy. The Broken Girls fit the bill perfectly.

Fiona's sister was murdered and left in the field of an abandoned boarding school. Sixty years earlier, a girl at the boarding school goes missing. This is the story of hos these two lives intersect.

I read this quickly and enjoyed the mystery. It was eerie without being scary and mysterious without being contrived. I enjoyed flipping back and forth between time periods and often found myself saying, "Just one more chapter."