Award-winning, bestselling author Simone St. James has outdone herself in her novel, The Broken Girls, a fascinating thriller with a (supposedly) haunted old boarding school, the unsolved disappearance of a student, a murdered girl found on the school grounds with a convicted murderer and facts that don’t quite add up, and a journalist, Fiona Sheridan, who decides to write a story on the events. Although the old school has been abandoned for years, a mysterious person begins work in restoring the property; during the restoration, a body is found by a construction crew. Fiona busies herself in unraveling the mysteries surrounding the events and gets caught up in the mysterious happenings, putting herself and others in danger.

St. James is a skilled storyteller, and this story is one that has enough twists and turns that it is impossible to put down. And while there are a few seemingly supernatural aspects, it would definitely not qualify as horror - just plenty of suspense that builds throughout. The dénouement is unexpected and things aren’t worked out until the very end of the novel, which will keep readers on the edge of their seats and guessing during the entire book. The story flows well and is easy to follow, validating the author’s excellent writing skills. The characters are well developed, and readers will be able to relate them to real people.

Highly recommended, The Broken Girls is a unique and well-written thriller that will appeal to almost everyone. There is no graphic violence, language or sex, so it is suitable for readers of every age.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James is pretty much perfection in my opinion. This book exceeded my expectations in every way possible. I went into this book knowing two things: prep school for girls/mystery. This book is so much more than that. The novel is replete with a gothic atmosphere that transports you in time and place into the storyline. It is the perfect blend of mystery/thriller with extra special paranormal goodness sprinkled the whole way through!

The main portion of the story alternates back and forth between 1950 and 2014, following different girls/women in and around Barrens, Vermont, and more importantly Idlewilde Hall. I do not want to say too much about the story itself, as I wouldn't want to risk giving anything away to potential readers. Just know this - I put off reading this book for many months. I don't know why - I can't explain it - it just kept getting shuffled down the ole' tbr. Now, I can say, I am physically distraught at not having read this as soon as I got it. Okay - that may be taking it a little far but I do wish I would have picked it up immediately. I honestly do not have even one constructive criticism of this. Because of that this will be a very short review: This book is incredible. This book wants you to read it. This book will keep you up nights after...read it!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy to review. I apologize to you, as well as to myself, that I didn't get to it until now. I am even going to run out and buy myself a copy so that I may read it again and share it with others - I love it that much!

When journalist Fiona Sheridan hears that the deserted Idlewild Hall is being renovated and will be reopened, she is appalled. Everyone in town has always avoided the place and it has been closed since the 1950's. Fiona has a personal reason for avoiding it. Her only sister had been found murdered on its grounds twenty years ago, the death that tore apart her family and that has kept her from moving on in her personal life.

Back in the fifties, four roommates bonded together to survive Idlewild Hall. Known as a boarding school for problem girls, there was little about learning that defined the place. It was all about rules and punishments. Of the four, Katie Winthrop was the clear leader. She had been sent there after an incident with a boy left her bruised and bloody, her parents blaming her. Cece was the illegitimate daughter of a rich man whose maid mother tried to drown her in shame. Sylvia was a French refugee from World War II and the horrors that visited France. Roberta was the closest to normal, a girl with good grades and athletic talent. But she had viewed up close and personal the effects of PTSD on her favorite uncle and it had broken her. Together they managed to survive and even thrive in a place where everyone believed the ghost of an unhappy girl stalked the halls.

Fiona is determined to use this renovation to finally find the truth about what happened the night her sister died and was left there. She does this over the objections of her boyfriend, Jaime, a local police officer, son of the former chief. The first day she visits the place with the son of the new owner, workmen find a body down in an abandoned well. It appears to have been there for fifty years or more. How does this body tie in with the school and with Fiona's sister? Can she find the answers before the evil manages to find her?

Simone St. James writes in the paranormal realm with novels that are both gothic and mystery. Her work has won awards such as the RITA Award from the romance genre and the Arthur Ellis Award from Canadian mystery writers. Her forte is the deft characterizations she creates; strong women who manage to thrive in horrendous situations. In this novel, the transition between the 1950's, the 1990's and present day are handled efficiently. This book is recommended for readers of paranormal mysteries.

Short Summary: Journalist Fiona Sheridan has been unable to shake the mystery surrounding her sisters' death twenty years past but when new evidence arises, it uncovers the secrets of a much older mystery as well.

Thoughts: This gothic mystery (with a dual timeline to boot) is quite the engaging and well-written tale despite its more implausible bits.

Verdict: Simone St. James' writing is most impressive considering the fact that I read this over the course of an entire month (not the book's fault, I was on vacation for 2 weeks as well) and still managed to retain the details of the story and fall immediately back into it whenever I was able to open the pages once again.

I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Without breaking, without dying, they were not alone. Together they could do something. Idlewood wasn't everything. Someday they will get out of there and when they do, they will be free.

A haunted girls school with secrets, where girls come to stay at Idlewood and hear voices. A group of girls from the 1950's each with a broken past. Until one girl disappeared only to be discovered 64 years later.

Fiona Sheridan a journalist can never get over the murder of her sister. The murderer is now serving time, but there is still questions and Fiona begins her search at Idlewood where her sister's body was discovered. Renovations of Idlewood lead to a body. A young's girls body. Who was she and why was she killed and forgotten. Fiona feels there is more to the story and with her journalists determination, she discovers not only the past murder but the sinister murder of her sister.

The pull of the book was the curiosity of the why. I have to know why. However, the characters were a little flat for my liking.

A Special Thank You to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

A very engrossing plot and concept but I found myself having a hard time getting through it. In the end the writing style just wasn't my cup of tea.

More than a little dark with a lot of passion and bite. I could not put it down. Not my usual genre but I enjoyed!

I don't usually gravitate toward ghost stories, but I'm glad I did with this one. Sixty-four years ago a girl living in a boarding school was murdered. But this isn't your ordinary boarding school. It houses unwanted girls, troubled girls, broken girls...and it's haunted.

Flash forward nearly three decades and a young woman is murdered--protagonist Fiona's sister, Deb. The killer was caught, but the pain still looms large.

Every year on the anniversary of Deb's death Fiona finds herself stalking the place where Deb's body was found--the same boarding school, now defunct, that is haunted. Except that apparently it's being renovated. Fiona's journalist instincts tell her this is news, so she investigates. But what she finds is more than a story. She unravels a murder mystery, a chilling history, and brings closure surrounding Deb's death. While Fiona's character felt somewhat traditional as that of a journalist, that would be the only flaw I found--that nothing really "unique" stood out about her. But it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book or the characters.

The cast, particularly the boarding school girls, is engaging, and while there are several points of view to follow, they flowed seamlessly. It's a haunting, riveting tale that I relished, and while the supernatural elements aren't my usual cup of tea, it added a dark flavor that I enjoyed (and which kept me up at night). St. James brings history to life and creates an entrenching read.

A mystery taking place in a boarding school... sign me up! This story was so intriguing. A journalist is diving into to try to find out what happened to her sister twenty years prior. The story starts to divide from there, one aspect discovering the boarding school being restored. Through learning about the school being restored, the story switches back to the school in 1950 centering around 4 girls that attended. The author does a great job keeping the storylines separate that I never felt confused between the two timelines. (if dual timelines intimidate you, this one is really well done!)
I did feel like the story didn't just divide into these two stories, but kept dividing. It sort of started to feel disjointed with all these different plot points and plot twists happening.

The characters were easy to follow and I really enjoyed following the four girls in the past. Their stories were so interesting and seeing their bond as they got to know each other and dealt with their own problems felt like an authentic experience. Since the story was going different directions, I didn't feel like there was a lot of character depth with other characters.

The writing with everything going on made it feel really fast-paced. I read through this quickly as I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. I thought I had predicted it all, but there was one thing that completely took me by surprise.

Overall, I felt like this book was pretty good. It's a quick read and worth it if any aspect intrigues you.
It was a little off-putting the way the storyline seemed to try to pack too much in. Certain phrases that were thrown in turned me off a little bit as well. But I still recommend this book to anyone that is intrigued, likes mysteries especially set in a boarding school.

I think this might have been the first ghost story I have ever read. I really enjoyed that aspect and the jumps around in time. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

Disappointing but still worth reading. The Broken Girls combines elements of a ghost story, a murder mystery, and a thriller, with the marketing emphasing the ghost and chills. It's a good book and I certainly recommend it, but it disappointed me because I read it expecting a scary haunted house novel. There's actually nothing frightening about it. If that isn't your expectation, though, it'll be worth your time. Don't go in expecting thrills and chills and you'll find an enjoyable book. But if you go in looking for a good haunted house novel, you'll be disappointed.

Unfortunately, I didn't download this before it went to archive. I was not able to read it..........................................................................................

A mystery set in New England, at a dilapidated school for troubled girls, the grounds of which are supposedly haunted? Yes, please!

The back and forth from then to now, the slow and methodical path to the truth, and the connection between the girls, these are all things I loved about this book. The character development, the storyline, the pacing, the mood – they all hit the mark. The one thing I think could have improved the story for me was a heavier hand with the haunting aspect. While it was well done, it felt more like a tease than a solid part of the story. Despite that, the creep factor was more than adequate.

A truly enjoyable read that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with great character development.

I was excited to read this book, so it's with some sadness that I have to say that I had to abandon it about 1/4 of the way into it. I was having trouble connecting with the main character, and then when her significant other turned out to be a cop I though there was hope. But then he turns out to either not be a good cop or he's written by someone who doesn't know cops, and I had a total disconnect. I just couldn't make myself keep reading. The story had potential, but it wasn't for me. The writing was clean and it seemed to be progressing decently, so I'm giving it 3 stars. But I won't be reading the rest of it.

This book was not at all what I had imagined it would be. It was SO. MUCH. BETTER! If you are looking for a book that will creep you out, keep you guessing, and keep you flipping pages then look no further. I now plan on reading all of Simone St. James' backlist and everything she publishes in the future. It was that good.

This book was such a great gothic-style read,with intense myster(ies) and just enough of a paranormal element to send shivers down your spine. I was totally hooked, right from the beginning.

The plot summary seems complicated but it's actually fairly straightforward and asy to grasp.

The book has two main storylines, one that takes place in 1950, at Idlewild boarding school, where four roommates bond as they try to survive their own personal issues and the terrible school itself, which is a dumping place for troubled girls. Then one of them disappears and the rumored paranormal presence at the school seems more real. In 2014, Fiona is a journalist who is obsessed with Idlewild, now closed, after her sister's body was found there 20 years earlier. When she hears that the school is being renovated, she decides to write an article about it, but quickly becomes sucked into the mystery of Idlewild. The two stories collide as shocking discoveries are made.

I loved the setting of this one - Idlewild is a creepy, desperate place and it's the perfect scary story setting. The supernatural element is just enough to enhance that atmosphere, but not overpower it.

I also loved how everything fit together so perfectly. It really seamlessly blends together so well and that really made the story great, not just "good." The characters were also another great asset to the book; I can't think of one person who wasn't well fleshed out and interesting.

Overall, if you like creepy, spooky reads with some great twists, you will LOVE this book. I wish I could give it 10 stars.

A past and present mystery with a bit of a gothic feel. In the present we have a journalist in Vermont who has never gotten past her sister’s murder, even with the boyfriend behind bars. Not only is it the emotional toll of losing her sister, but something has just never sat right with her regarding the case. In the past we get to know a group of girls in a Vermont girl’s school in the 1950s. It’s the kind of school parents sent difficult and troubled girls to. A school that many have always believed to be haunted and is now set to be restored…

Gothic, fun horror. If Liane Moriarty and Stephen King wrote a book together, The Broken Girls would be the result.

I read The Broken Girls in one sitting. It was soooo good! I usually don't choose mystery books, but after reading the synopsis of this book I knew I had to give it a go. The Broken Girls had the essentials I look for; a school setting, troubled teens or adults, ghosts and a what happened in the past mystery. Historical novels are my favs so, having the plot go back and forth searching for clues made for great entertainment. In knowing the outcome of this is a book, I believe, that it could be reread and still maintain its spookiness and mystery. I would be remiss not to mention the cover. It makes you want to know the haunting of it all.

I was given an eArc of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

'The Broken Girls' is a fantastic suspense novel that combines past and present, truth and lies, and even the supernatural. I read mysteries and thrillers all the time, so it takes a bit to impress me anymore. I can easily say that this novel had me intrigued, constantly guessing, and on the edge of my seat the entire time. It's a wonderful breath of fresh air for the genre and one that readers are definitely going to want to get their hands on.

The plot immediately caught my attention when I read the description, but I really got hooked on the story starting with the prologue. There are a lot of aspects to this book that differ from others and definitely set it apart. For me personally, there were two major aspects that had me impressed. The first was the connection between the past and the present. The story continually goes between 1950 and 2014 as separate yet somehow connected events are happening at Idlewild Hall. I found it fascinating to feel transported to the past and then to see the parallels with the current happenings. The other aspect that I really enjoyed is actually directly connected to this one. It's the author's choice of writing style. Normally, I'm a huge fan of the first person point of view for a lot of different reasons. The author, however, chose to write this book in the third person. But what really sold me on it were the characters whose viewpoints we see. There are five main characters in the book - Fiona, a journalist in 2014; and four girls who attended Idlewild in 1950 - CeCe, Katie, Sonia, and Roberta who are roommates and best friends. We get to hear from each of them throughout the book - some more than others - as their stories unravel and the mysteries unfold. There are multiple cases to be solved, both from the past and from the more recent past. The author wove in several smaller storylines that easily wove together to form the overarching plot of the novel. And the best for last (at least for me) - part of it was a legit ghost story. Not one that turns out to be reasonably explained away, but an honest to goodness creepy ghost that haunts Idlewild and the surrounding property. I don't do spoilers, so I can't say much else without revealing anything.

Overall, this was an incredible novel that blended several genres together to produce a chilling thriller that will have readers devouring the pages. The writing was very well done and I look forward to reading the authors other books. Very highly recommended to fans of mysteries, thrillers, suspense, supernatural/paranormal, ghost stories, crime fiction, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction. There's a bit of something for everyone in these pages and I definitely recommend giving it a chance.