**Spoiler alert**
I really liked the premise of this book: woman goes back to her childhood home where her sister went missing., And then, near the end, I stopped reading, looked up, and told my husband: I swear, if she ends up forgetting she killed her sister, I'm gonna lose it. And that's what happened. There was no indication of this until the very end. So, I was a little disappointed how the story came to an end. It felt a tad forced. I did enjoy the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

This was spooky good. It did get a bit lengthy at times, and I guessed the twists from the beginning, but that didn’t make it any less good to read. I loved the idea of uncertainty. You never knew what was real and what wasn’t, enhancing edge of insanity throughout the book. Overall, I would definitely recommend this.

When Hannah gets news that her aunt, her only living relative, has died in a car accident, she takes her fiancé “home” to the family’s castle in the Catskills. Hannah and her sister spent every summer growing up there, up until her sister disappeared. Now that she’s returning to the castle as an adult, Hannah wants to dig into things she never had the chance to when she was a child, and ultimately, she wants to find out the truth of what happened to her sister. As a fan of gothic-type books, I definitely enjoyed the setting of this one. Even though the author brought it all together at the end, that doesn’t mean it didn’t have some flaws---none of them big enough for me to dislike this book. For something fun with a little bit of creepiness thrown in, I recommend.

4 Stars

NOTE: Special thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great gothic mystery featuring a creepy castle, mysterious aunt and uncle and a missing sister all come together for an enjoyable read. Hannah returns to the castle of her aunt and uncle where she spent many summers with her sister when her aunt dies in an accident, only to confront the unanswered questions of her past. Well written with a storyline that shifts from past to present, my only complaint is that I was not entirely sure what happens at the end - did Hannah imagine the events of that last summer, or did she just bury the actual events in her subconscious. But all in all, if you look a good gothic mystery with a little ghost story thrown in, this book fits the bill.

Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti ~ Reviewed on April 15 4+ Stars! I am so stingy with giving 5 stars ratings. I save all those stars for awesome reads but I am going to round up on this one!!

Brackenhill was the name of a castle built in the 1800s and located on top of a mountain deep
In the Catskill Mountains.
It is said in the past 150 years; over ten girls ranging in age from seven to eighteen went missing.
It is believe they are all buried on the grounds.
The Ghosts Girls of Brackenhill are an urban ledge. However, sometimes when it rains,
one can hear their laughter as they play.

When Hannah was a teenage, she and her sister Julia spent several summers in the Catskills at their Aunt Fea and Uncle Stu’s 200 year old Brackenhill castle. The last summer there, Julia goes missing and still has not been found. Now 17 years later, newly engaged Hannah has been called back to identify her aunt’s body as she died in a car accident. Huck, her fiancé returns with you but after a short stay has to return to work, Hannah continues to help with ailing Uncle Stu. She finds staying in the castle has 17 year old memories drifting back ~ as well as ~her teenage love/ lust interest.

This was my kind of a read ~ chills and thrills ~ a labyrinth of twists and turns (since there is a labyrinth in the basement, I thought I would throw in that word!). My heart was racing at the end; I had to calm down and then went back to reread!!
I had read “ The Blackbird Season” by author, Kate Moretti but I was disappointed however, I can assure you this story was not a disappointment.

Note: I am a big psychological thriller fan; if you are the same, put this on your TBR list!

Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest review. Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 22, 2020.

A fast-paced, taut gothic ghost story. Normally I am not into these types of stories, but Moretti does a fantastic job. This has all the elements of a thriller/mystery and the author weaves these together masterfully.

This was a did-not-finish for me - too many triggers. Looked like a good read and so I was disappointed to not be able to keep reading.

The Girls of Brackenhill is a fun, twisty story that begins when Hannah receives a call that her estranged aunt has been in an accident and has no other next of kin. Hannah races to Brackenhill, the castle where she spent summers with her aunt and uncle as a child before her sister mysteriously disappeared from the sprawling estate. As memories of summers past bubble up, Hannah starts to see things with the clarity of adulthood, and her desire to figure out what happened to her sister is reignited. With the help of her hot childhood boyfriend who is now a cop, Hannah starts her own investigation, and may just uncover a startling truth about the girls of Brackenhill.

4.5 stars.

Girls of Brackenhill is a very atmospheric, Gothic read that makes you feel you are right there at the castle helping Hannah find out what happened to her sister all those years ago.

The creepy atmosphere continues as her uncle lay dying and her aunt was just in a tragic accident.

So many unexplained events, a small town full of suspicious characters.

Thought I had this one figured out but boy was I wrong !! The final twist you wont see coming.

Loved the Girls from Brackenhill.

Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for a chilling read !!

Girls of Brackenhill kept me reading. Two sisters, Hannah and Julia, spend their summers with their Aunt Fae at their family castle. One summer, Julia mysteriously disappears, and Hannah leaves only to return years later when her aunt dies suddenly in a car accident. Old mysteries arise once Hannah returns. She finds herself wrapped up in the mystery of Brackenhill. This book is eery but somewhat easy to figure out. It was definitely a page-turner, but I was slightly disappointed that I figured out all of Brackenhill’s unsolved mysteries pretty quickly. This was my first book written by Kate Moretti, and her creative storytelling would make me read another book by her.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

The beginning had me hooked especially when there is no explanation or anything just that she did not mean to kill the girl. This is a mystery that sucks you into it and keeps your attention drawn to it and completely engaging.
The story follows Hannah after she receives a phone call in regards to her aunt being in a tragic accident, almost immediately Hannah and her fiance head towards where her aunt is being care for. When they make the trip and enter the hospital they learn that her car accident was fatal.
So, this leaves Hannah to make a trip back to her Aunts mansion a place she had not visited since her teenage years. With returning to the mansion memories resurface that had long been forgotten.
This book is a dark mystery that keeps you on your toes and guessing until the very end!
Definitely recommend!

I have to admit, I had very high hopes for Girls of Brackenhill. I have read/loved several of Kate Moretti's other books and was excited to snag a copy of this one. Needless to say, Kate Moretti did not disappoint!

We meet Hannah Maloney, who is informed that her estranged aunt has died in a car accident. Hannah, her fiancé, and pup, pile into the car in the middle of the night and drive up to the Catskills to her family's castle. Hannah spent many magical summers of her childhood at Brackenhill but has not returned since her sister's disappearance (and presumable death) seventeen years ago.

Back at Brackenhill, Hannah is overwhelmed with memories of her past, but she is truly confronted by the horrors of that last summer when a human bone is found on the property. Could it finally be the closure she is looking for? Or is there something more sinister buried in the ground at Brackenhill?

Kate Moretti did an exceptional job of weaving together Hannah's narrative from her childhood to present day. The story had a great combination of sibling rivalry, family drama, suspense, superstition, and more. Overall, a great book for 2020!

My favorite Moretti read of yet! I enjoyed this a lot as it contains some of my favorite tropes; haunted house, familial secrets, forbidden love, unreliable narrator. Lots of fun!

I give this book a 4 star. I love gothic mysteries and thrillers and this one is clearly one of that. The mansion and everything that surrounds it was a mystery and a damn good one with the heroine having lost memories which the truth starts to bubble up to the surface as the book progresses.

The pace was good and the storyline was gripping though it was a bit slow at first but when you push past it, the story gets more engrossing and you would want to read on to find out what happened. This is a trademark of a successful author and novel - to keep your readers engrossed and guessing and the book reminds me a little of broken girls by Simone St James.. I get the same vibes. I like the writing style as well and is not overly long-winded with long sentences. I got this book from netgalley and thanks to the team.

I will definitely read her other books.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was pretty twisty- some more obvious than others but still an enjoyable ride. You really do you fall in love with the main female character. Solid four

Kate Moretti hit it out of the ballpark with this one! I absolutely loved it and couldn’t stop reading it. A must read! The characters were amazing.

Julia and Hannah Maloney are two of the 'Girls of Brackenhill ‘. The sisters spend five summers in their aunt’s castle in the Catskills. The last summer begins with excitement and promise in 2002, but ends with only Hannah coming home. Kate Moretti crafts a ghost story that plays along teenage drama, and the trauma that lingers into adulthood.
Hannah spends 17 years trying to forget that final summer and become someone different. Her stable life in Virginia, with a fiancé comes to a halt when her aunt dies in a mysterious car accident. Hannah is pulled back to Brackenhill, suddenly in charge of a funeral, her nearly comatose uncle’s care and an actual skeleton found on the property. Moretti writes a novel that leaves you questioning everyones sanity including your own. It is a mystery and so much more.

I really enjoyed this book!! I didn't know what to expect when I went into it, but I really did find myself getting sucked into it, and I found myself wanting more and more. Before I knew it, I was done!

I thought the characters were well developed, and the story flowed very well.

Girls of Brackenhill has it all; a mysterious haunted castle, love, betrayal, magic, murder, abuse. And most importantly, a wild ride of a storyline that will keep you guessing until the end. Definitely a must read for thriller fans!

Hannah and Julia used to have enchanted summers at Brackenhill, their aunt's castle in a small village, far from the drama and neglect of their family home. Now Hannah is returning as an adult after her aunt's accident, wholly against her will - she hasn't been back since she was a teenager, and Brackenhill was the last place she saw her older sister. Hannah has worked hard to be the woman she is, and she's afraid Brackenhill will take all of that away.

I loved the atmosphere in this gloomy, Gothic thriller. Hannah is drawn back to that last summer of her childhood, and the mystery of what happened to Julia, as the evidence mounts in the present that her aunt's death was not an accident. There were lots of secrets and surprises, and even in these trying times, the novel had my entire attention!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.