I was going into Girls of Brackenhill thinking it was a Gothic mystery but turns out it was more a thriller and a slow one at that. I found the book to be slow if, thrillers or mysteries shouldn’t have their pace pick up halfway it should be exciting nearly from the beginning. The twists were okay, but the ending has to be the best part of the book. Overall, Girls of Brackenhill is slow and unexciting read.

Kate Moretti is a thriller author who absolutely should be better known and I hope that Girls of Brackenhill helps her reach a wider audience.

The author is one of my favorite Net Galley author's and this book does not disappoint . This is a suspenseful read that has well crafted seemliness transitions between two time lines of past and present. I enjoyed this book very much and read through it from beginning to end in one afternoon. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity My review opinion is my own.

Hannah Maloney is asked to return to Brackenhill for the memorial of her Aunt's death in a car accident. She left Brackenhill after her sister Julia disappeared there, She has unresolved grief of her sister's death and going back is difficult for her to face. When she discovers a human bone she hopes it is her sister's so she can gain some peace . She begins to have dreams that bring on sleep walking and lead to her more unanswered questions about Brackenhill and her past. The plot thickens as the estate is haunted and strange happenings are occurring.

I loved this mysterious suspenseful read. I highly recommend this book for your reading enjoyment,.

I kept waiting for some secret history behind the house, some unifying history to explain why this family was haunted and surrounded by terrible murders. And I never got it.

this was a great mystery read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the story and solving the mystery. I enjoyed the way the author writes.

This book was beyond amazing! Kate Moretti hands down writes like no other when it comes to keeping you on the edge of your seat! I always look forward every single time a new book of hers comes out because I know it will be a show stopper!

I enjoyed the setting of a castle in the Catskills. One that has a history of girls going missing. Hannah and her sister Julie visited their aunt and uncle at the castle for 5 summers before tragedy struck and Julie went missing.. Hannah never went back. When her aunt dies in a car accident she returns to Brackenhill to take care of her uncle and plan the funeral. While out for a walk her dog finds a human bone, and things start to spiral for Hannah from there.. Do the bones belong to her sister? Then she finds out her aunts accident might not have been an accident after all.. Now Hannah wants answers.. and she isn't leaving Brackenhill until she gets them..
While at Brackenhill Hannah begins sleepwalking, something she only does there. Weird things happen in the house and we are left to wonder if its actually haunted or if everyone that lives there jus eventually goes crazy. I was fully invested in figuring out this mystery with Hannah, I enjoyed the differnt timelines. One now, and one from the last summer Hannah and her sister spent at the castle. I did not see any of the twists coming. The last chapter left me feeling like things were unfinished, and that we were left with alot of questions. I wish more of the supernatural things were explored more, but I did overall like the book and would read more by this author.

Girls of Brackenhill, an intriguing newly published mystery by Kate Moretti, begins when Hannah Maloney is summonsed to her Aunt Fae’s death in a suspicious car accident. Seventeen years after she left Brackenhill behind after her sister Julia disappeared during their last summer there, she hardly knows Aunt Fae and Uncle Shawn any more. She and Julia had been dumped in the castle by her dysfunctional mother for several years during the summer months, but that had come to an abrupt halt the year Julia disappeared. Now she returns to face and make sense of repressed memories.
The book switches from present day to flashbacks of the time during the last summer she and her sister spent in the castle that may be haunted. A discovered bone and strange dreams that sometimes bring on sleep-walking take her on a mission to find what happened to Julia with an answer she may not want to know. As one secret after another comes to light, Hannah must choose whether to follow her leads or continue to live her life on the surface, ignoring the past. She comes to the conclusion that “The problem with living superficially is that the truth always lived in the deep. Truth lived in the mess.” But does the truth include the paranormal happenings that keep popping up?
The plot has as many twists and turns as the narrow crooked road that leads down from the castle to the village below. It will not enlighten your understanding nor inspire you to greater heights, but it will entertain you for an afternoon or so.

I read this in one day and finished it 1:30 AM (after trying to fall asleep at 11:30). I loved the gothic atmosphere and the twists and turns of the mysteries. There are at least 5 different mysteries!

Hannah is called to Brackenhill, the family's castle in the Catskills. She spent 5 happy summers there but has not been back since her sister's disappearance 17 years ago. Brackenhill is a deliciously eerie setting full of creaks and drafts, secrets and a basement that I will remember. The castle sits on a hill above a small town of about 2,000 people who know each other very, very well.
Thank you to #Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

I read this book a few weeks ago and ran through it like gravy flooding mashed potatoes. The only problem is that very little stayed with me. It was a fast read and I just don’t remember much about it. If you are looking for something quick, give it a try. If you are looking for something with deeper meaning I am not so sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy

The Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti did not disappoint! It is just the perfect thriller with a mysterious house and strange happenings, with an unexpected ending. Hannah is now a grown woman, but seventeen years ago Brackenhill was the refuge she needed, spending summers of safety and wonder with her aunt and uncle. Until, her sister disappeared from Brackenhill one night never to return. Now, the death of her aunt brings her back to Brackenhill and she must face the ghosts of that summer long ago. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

This book was simply amazing. I was gripped from beginning to end. If you are into the private school mystery books this will be one you will never forget.

Those phone calls that come in the middle of the night are never good, and the one that rouses Hannah from her dream is no exception. Her aunt Fae has been in a car accident, and Hannah is at least six hours away from Rockwell, NY, and the police tell her to hurry, so it must be serious. Huck her fiancé and their dog Rink hop in the car and they head to Brackenhill, a house Hannah has not seen in seventeen years. Hannah and her sister Julia spent their summers there, but all that ended when Julia disappeared without a trace. Julia was never found, but everyone assumes she is dead, everyone except for Hannah.
When Hannah finally arrives, her aunt is dead and she has no choice but to go back to Brackenhill and check on her uncle Stuart. It isn’t a happy picture, as he is bedridden and close to death. Fae and a nurse, Alice have cared for him, but with Fae gone, Hannah must find a place that will care for him until the end. Hannah is anxious to get back to her life in Virginia…..until she’s not.
All the details about Hannah’s life become apparent as the narrative switches between then and now. Hannah has basically forgotten her childhood and her sister, but being back thrusts her right back into the past. Strange noises in the house, a never-ending basement, the animosity of the townspeople, and more than one girl who has died or disappeared. She is determined to remain until she discovers what happened to Julia, but her pursuit to uncover the truth may cost Hannah her sanity and her life.
The story can be somewhat confusing at times. Hannah may be right up there with the greatest of unreliable narrators because it becomes increasingly difficult to know whether she is dreaming, remembering events, or if Brackenhill is indeed haunted. A creepy and gothic tale that kept me flipping pages to find out what was real and what was an illusion. Honestly, there were certain things I still wasn’t 100% sure about at the end, but after thinking about what I had read, I came to my own conclusions. This was my first book by Kate Moretti and it won’t be my last.

A gothic murder mystery with a giant haunted castle as the setting! The story is long and filled with details and mysteries. The answers are slow to arrive but drastically change the narrative whenever they're revealed. Nothing and no-one is how they seem..!
I liked the overall story that is told. The pace is quite slow for me personally, but the mysteries are interesting and easy to decipher if you pay attention. The story is told from one perspective, Hannah, and she is an unreliable narrator as her own life and memories are quite lost to her. She is haunted by her past, and she is aware that her future is uncertain because of it. It is quite difficult to follow along sometimes because what you think is happening isn't always true and also because Hannah is cursed with bouts of sleep-walking, fake memories, and hauntings by people alive and dead. The ambiguous ending and the ambiguity of the characters and the truthfulness of the setting itself is a major plot point. Either you like it or you don't. The only way to find out is to read!
I rather liked the ending, mostly because I'm convinced what I believe is true. The ending is open-ended, but also makes a great case for a specific plot-path. Because it's told from only one pov, there are some unanswered questions left at the end, and it's up to the reader to believe what they want as opposed to what the characters believe. There are ghosts in the story, but sometimes they're real and sometimes they're not. The castle is haunted at times, and other times, it's just a very ancient mansion with secrets and skeletons in the closet.
It's a true gothic thriller and a good satisfying read!

<i>*Thank you to the publishers; Thomas & Mercer, the author; Kate Moretti, and Netgalley for my free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review!</i>

The Title/Cover Draw:
The pink cover was very sinister looking. I was immediately drawn in and had to read it.
What I liked:
The story kept moving at a good pace. I felt for Hannah throughout the entire book and that is the mark of a good writer. The book was mysteries, revealing the right amount of clues over time.
What I didn’t like:
Wished we had more background on Stuart and Fae. There were certain statements made about them from other characters and I kinda wished there was more about them to really propel me to my own conclusions.
What kept me reading:
So many mysteries are here to unravel. Basically you want to know what happens to 4 different characters over the course of at least 17 years.
The Characters:
Hannah is an unreliable narrator, but she is sympathetic in so many ways. You just want her to solve all the disappearances so she can find true happiness.
The Ending:
The story wraps nicely with a few things left open ended. To me it wasn’t as frustrating, but be warned that this book is not wrapped up unquestionably.
Consider if you like:
Do you like mysteries where you are given enough info to solve it but still like the ride? READ THIS ONE!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

This book is definitely a fall novel. It’s for everything you want for spooky season: ghosts, mysterious castle, mysterious family history and missing girls. The story takes you on twists and turns as you see the story uncovered through Hannah’s eyes.

This novel reminded me of Wendy Webb’s novels and I love her stuff.

So if you are looking for an atmospheric, gothic novel look no further.

Hannah returns to Brackenhill once her Aunt dies. She hasn’t been back since her sister disappeared when they were teens. When a bone is found on the property, Hannah must stay to find out the truth.

I found this one a little bit hard to get into but that didn’t last long. I quickly became interested in the characters and mysteries surrounding them. I enjoying the writing style and the second half of the book flew right by. Although I felt some disappointment about the ending, I overall did enjoy the book and would recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing a free ecopy of this book In exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Available: Now!

Wow, this was my first time reading a book by author Kate Moretti and quite honestly Girls of Brackenhill blew me away! I really enjoyed this story. It had a little bit of everything. There was mystery, spookiness and a touch of magical realism all wrapped up in a great storyline. This is one I recommend you don’t miss out on! It’s the story of Hannah, who when she was younger would go with her older sister to stay with her aunt in a castle in the mountains in Upstate New York. The question is, what becomes of the older sister? The author made the castle sound as if it was haunted. It seemed to drive the females crazy. Or did it really? All I know is that a lot of death took place there. I thought this was an amazing story and reading it around Halloween made it all the better. But books like this are a pleasure to read at any time of year. I’d like to thank NetGalley for gifting me the arc to read and review. I enjoyed this very much and I’m giving it a well deserved 5 stars!

In GIRLS OF BRACKENHILL, Kate Moretti takes a mystery/psychological thriller and gives it a paranormal bent. We have an old castle, strange noises and occurrences, locked rooms, missing girls, and family secrets. Combine this with a narrator that seems more than a little unreliable, and you get a spooky tale that you will make you want to keep the lights on and question every sound in the house.
Hannah and her sister, Julia started spending summers with their aunt and uncle at Brackenhill Castle, looking forward to their summers there, with only each other. As they get older, they write off strange occurrences and spend more time with other friends than each other. When Julia disappears one summer, Hannah goes home and puts Brackenhill in the past, her memories of the last few days, fuzzy. When her aunt’s accident and death force her to return, she’s determined to uncover Brackenhill’s secrets and her memories, hoping to find out once and for all what happened to Julia.
Alternating between now and then, Hannah tries to recover her life and her past. Her memories of the castle from her past were all positive, until the memory of leaving after her sister disappeared. The more she learns and the more time she spends, she realizes that there is more to the castle than she thought. There are strange sounds, rooms that moved, memories of strange things she wrote off as a child. Then there are her aunt and uncle, what secrets did they hide? Hannah is an unreliable narrator whose present is profoundly impacted by her past. A past she needs to deal with before she can enjoy her adult life.
Moretti has crafted a tale that will keep you turning pages. The ending will leave you with a twist and make you wonder, which, to me, made the whole story spookier. I am pretty sure, if it had been me, I would have turned tail and run far and fast from Brackenhill.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#GirlsofBrackenhill #katemoretti #tallpoppywriters #tallpoppybloggers #bloomreads

This story is darker than I expected, partly due to the childhood trauma main character Hannah experienced is not in the least limited to the disappearance of her sister as a teen. It's a really heavy story that deals with a lot of family pain, and it's haunting the way that Hannah doggedly dives into digging for truths about her sister's disappearance. While the creepy house/family secrets angle is well explored in fiction, this one did a very good job using those plot elements to create a story well told.