Wasn’t sure if I was reading a thriller, mystery or ghost story! Had all the elements wrapped up in one and didn’t disappoint!
Brackenhill Castle was a magical place for Hannah during her summers there with her aunt Fae and uncle Stuart as a teen but when her sister Julia goes missing at seventeen, Hannah is forced to leave it all behind. Sixteen years later, Julia has never been found and Hannah goes back to Brackenhill after her aunt has a fatal accident and her Uncle is left dying alone. Hannah is determined to find out the truth of what really happen to Julia. Being in the castle, causes Hannah to sleepwalk and also brings memories to the surface from her time there so many years ago. This time she will get to the truth of what happened to her sister and the other girls who have gone missing or met their fate at Brackenhill!
Kept me entertained throughout and sometimes had to do a double take in trying to figure out what was real and what was a dream! Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Full disclosure: I'm a lifelong gothic junkie

That said, it probably won't surprise you that I loved Kate Moretti's most recent book. The Girls of Brackenhill is the second Moretti novel I've read and it was exactly what I've been craving. It's got a dilapidated castle in the Catskills, a mysterious death, a flurry of disappearances and a generous dash of the supernatural. I'm not sure if it tops her previous novel, The Blackbird Season, but Moretti does ratchet up the ghostly, mythical elements, and a sense of uncertainty pervades the story. Not only is Hannah Maloney an unreliable narrator, but her older sister Julia is also a character whose perceptions can't be trusted. And then there's the crazy aunt, the local witch and the delirious, silent uncle....

The story begins with a car crash that jolts Hannah out of her placid, oh-so-sensible existence. After 17 years spent avoiding Rockwell, the town where she'd spent her summers as a young girl, she finds herself forced to confront memories she's avoided since Julia disappeared in 2002. Chapters alternate between Hannah past and Hannah present, which gives readers a gradual sense of what went wrong. But even at the end of the book, there is no clear resolution and for some reason I found that really satisfying. There's a circular nature to events, as well as to places and characters. When Hannah and Julia first arrive at their Aunt Fae's castle, they get lost in the vast, labyrinthine basement. No matter how methodically they try to escape the dark space, they simply can't find their way out – as if they've stumbled into a time and a space where logic doesn't apply.

Unlike her sister, Hannah doesn't buy into anything that's not rational. But she's still conflicted, still confused. Brackenhill is an eerie, haunted dwelling but it also brings her back to a dreamy, fantastical moment in her life. Her current-day relationships are mostly “transactional” but they weren't then. Which is one reason she refuses to believe her sister is dead. Julia must have escaped somehow, broken free of the ominous drudgery of their mother's home.

The plot had many twists and is wonderfully fast-paced. I also liked Hannah, despite her failings. I even liked the crazy aunt, the disheveled witch and the town drunk as characters, though I can't say I'd want to hang out with them. All in all, this was a great, fun, spooky read a la the Brothers Grimm. It reminds me of Carol Goodman's novels, which are also usually set in the Catskills, but it has its own distinct style.

Much thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beyond a doubt truth bears the same relation to falsehood as light to darkness.” -unknown
Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti is an interesting take on a psychological thriller. Girls of Brackenhill combines all the elements of classic thrillers. The storyline is full of gothic themes, as well as snapshots from the past intermixed within the present day storyline.

Hannah Maloney’s family legacy is one that is rife with tragedy and darkness. Ever since her sister disappeared, she’s been haunted by the past and the constant unknown. It is only when a bone is discovered at Brackenhill—her family’s estate—that she realizes the tenuous grasp she has on her understanding of the past, as well as her footing in the present is woefully unsteady.

Girls of Brackenhill challenged me. I never shy away from dark or twisted elements, especially those with a Happily Ever After (Romance fans, you hear me?), but this one is set firmly within the spectrum of unhealthy psychology trauma and the effects it has on family…especially when it is left unaddressed. Overall, Hannah felt like just a pawn for the story, like her character was just a way to bridge the past and the present. I think it was my dumb, sentimental heart that kept hoping for a happy ending, but this is not one of those books. Things are not tied up with a bow, and I couldn’t help but feeling like the ending was still unresolved. I think fans of dark fiction and psychological thrillers will love Kate Moretti’s latest book, but perhaps I wasn’t the right audience.

Girls of Brackenhill is set to release later this fall on November 1st, so be sure to save this one when you’re ready for all of the spooky, twisted vibes.

3.5

After a fairly busy reading month in June, I found myself at a bit of a standstill with our crew from Brackenhill. This is not necessarily because of the book itself; there are lots of reasons to get into a reading rut. The story starts off slowly, building atmosphere and mystique. Why have so many girls died at Brackenhill, the drafty castle that belongs to Hannah and Julia's Aunt Fae?

While the girls are young, it holds magic and an idyllic childhood away from their absent mother and abusive stepfather. But as they grow older, Julia - 2 years Hannah's senior - senses something is off with the castle and it's inhabitants, namely Aunt Fae. Then - she disappears.

We meet up with Hannah as an adult, engaged to normal-guy Huck and living in Virginia with their dog. When she gets the fateful call that her aunt has passed away - perhaps an accident on the road, perhaps not - Hannah and Huck head to upstate NY - and Brackenhill - to investigate.

It is after Huck has to leave to return to work that things start to fall apart. Hannah is sleepwalking, unable to think, and unable to get her ex-boyfriend - now an officer on her aunt's case - out of her mind. Is the house driving her mad? And what happened 17 years ago when her sister disappeared for good?

This was as slow build and a slow burn for me, a book I did not find myself reaching toward very often. But you liked We Were Liars, this may be the book for you - moody, atmospheric. Ghostly? You'll have to read it to find out.

This book was an interesting, creepy read. I figured out the mystery by the end. I liked how the book had flashbacks to help you try to figure out what was happening. Overall an enjoyable read, I would read more by this author. I received a copy of this ebook from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’m in the minority with my 2 star rating but I just tried several times to get into this book but I’m sad to say I just cannot connect to any of the characters! Sorry to say but I gave up at 58% which is longer than I usually last on a book I’m not liking. I tried, I really did! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Okay if you're looking for a gothic mystery to get lost in then this is the book for you!

When newly engaged Hannah finds out that her aunt Fae has been in an accident she doesn't hesitate to load up the car with her fiance, Huck, and her dog, to fly to the castle that she once spent her summers at as a teenager.

Quickly Hannah falls back into the world of Brackenhill and with it come the memories of the events that took place when she was a teenager; predominately the disappearance of her older, prettier sister Julia.

As Hannah falls deeper into the mystery of that final summer she also begins to realize that life at Brackenhill may not have been everything she thought it was once upon a time, and she may not be as well adjusted as she thinks she is.

This book. I could not get it out of my head. I usually don't like to read this type of book in the summer but Hannah's summers in Brackenhill fit in nicely and I tore through this book, needed to know how all the mysteries (yep, there are several) added up. I loved the back and forth between the past and the present and it was so interesting to see Hannah's mental deterioration the longer she stayed withing the walls and grounds of Brackenhill.

Definitely a book you'll want to pick up!

A fantastic ghost story/thriller/suspense. Talk about #creeptastic I had to turn on the lights a few times and make sure the doors were locked. Kate Moretti writes an amazing novel that will freak you out in all the best ways. Chillingly freaky and I was seriously addicted the whole way through.
Leave the lights on! Love it.

"Kate Moretti masterfully leads her readers down a haunted, twisted path where nothing is how it first appears, and people may not be who they think they are. With long-buried family secrets, an eerie castle, and a distinct gothic feel, Girls of Brackenhill is as compulsive as it is deeply unsettling. Suspenseful writing at its finest.” — Hannah Mary McKinnon, bestselling author of Sister Dear

This book was OK for a light read about a haunted house. Various mysteries and past/present timelines interesting. However, I hate when a story does not have a definitive conclusion. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti is the perfect book to get lost in! Our protagonist, Hannah, gets a call late one night that her Aunt Fae has been in a horrible car accident. Hannah is her only remaining family. Hannah and her fiancé, Huck, leave Virginia and head to upstate New York where Fae lives. Her Aunt Fae and Uncle Stuart live in a huge castle in the woods called Brackenhill. When Hannah was young she spent several summers there with her sister Julia. The summer Hannah was 15, her older sister Julia disappeared from Brackenhill, never to be found. Hannah had not been back or spoken to her Aunt Fae until she got the call about her being in the car accident. When Hannah returns old feelings and mysteries are stirred up again. She is determined to find out what happened to Julia. The chapters alternate between that last summer when Julia disappeared and present day. This book was creepy, claustrophobic, gothic, everything wonderful for a summer read. The ending was shocking and I will not soon forget this book. It will be one of the books that I think about all the time for years to come. Do not pass this book by! Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. A beautiful old castle and a family full of secrets. Hannah always thought of the place magical, but now as an adult the place is becoming more frightening. A wonderful and fun story full of mystery and great characters.

When Hannah Maloney receives a call in the middle of the night she knows the news won't be good. Hurrying to the summer home of her childhood, this time with fiance Huck, she tries to ignore the memories that flood her mind. It's seventeen years since she saw her aunt now fighting for life after a car accident, seventeen years of hiding from what happened, seventeen years since her sister disappeared without trace.

Brackenhill Castle had a reputation and, according to local gossip, her Aunt Fae was a witch while Hannah and her sister, Julia, were the ghost girls but the summers spent there were the happiest she had ever known, until they weren't, until the unthinkable happened and Hannah returned home alone, no longer anyone's little sister.

This is the first book I have read by Kate Moretti and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Time flew by as I got lost in the story, picturing a castle which held the lives of so many in its thrall. Told in two timelines from Hannah's perspective I was hooked from the first page and was sorry to finish it, I could happily have read more about everyone involved.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend highly it to anyone who enjoys a storyline which is a little bit different.

“…lives were upended all the time in minutes and seconds, not hours…”

Oh, I’m a little lost in how to review this story. I’m still a little unsure of what I read, and still scratching my head a wee bit in confusion. I’ll not waste your time in rehashing a summary and certainly not going to give away the ending with perhaps spoiling the mystery for a future reader. I’ll just say that the description snagged my attention, but as with all mystery/horror stories, they are subjective to what scares or engages the reader. I’ve come to the conclusion that chapter formats with the “Then” and “Now” are not for me. While I’m sure there is an audience for this book, sad to say, I’m not it. While it lacked the spooky element for my preferences, it could be another reader’s next fav! So, if the blurb grabbed your attention, give it a try…


*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the story.

This isnt a genre I normally read.

I found the story to be a mystery with the prerequisite haunted castle, romance, and suspense.

Hannah is a strong girl with secrets woven throughout the plot. She returns, unwillingly, home as a result from a death in her family and the chills of intrigue, old guilt and unexplained disappearances begin immediately.

Fans of gothic thrillers will love this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti.

This is quite a twisty, dark and suspenseful plot that will keep you intrigued to the end. Another awesome book delivered by this author.

This is one of my fave genres to read, and I'm glad I checked this one out. It's an engaging story with enough twists to keep the reader involved. While I had some things figured out, it didn't take away the overall enjoyment of the tale. The Gothic feel places the reader right in Brackenhill with Hannah, and you can't help but want to help her find out what happened to her sister ... because you'll want to know, too!

Moretti's latest includes mystery, spooky ghost story, lies, a creepy castle ... a little bit of something for everyone. It's a quick, page-turning read.

I had read Moretti's The Vanishing Year and The Blackbird Season. I loved these books and have been wanting to read her others so when I saw she had a new one coming out I jumped at the chance. This book did not disappoint - wow!

After 17 years Hannah returns to her aunt and uncle's home, Brackenhill, after her aunt Fae passes away in a car accident. Hannah and her sister Julia had spent summers there until Julia disappeared in the summer of 2002. Once she goes back she starts to look into not only her sister's disappearance but also other mysterious deaths and disappearances that are associated with Brackenhill.

I loved every character in this book. It was really hard to come to terms with the fact that some of them had secrets to hide and some were even murderers. There are so many layers to this story - there are a number of mysteries as well as lots of twists and turns throughout them all. I did figure a few details out but overall I changed my opinion SO many times on what I thought actually happened.

The book really explores repressed memories, trauma and psychosis. The realizations that fell on Hannah developed in such a realistic way. It made me think so much about how interesting it is that the mind will truly allow you to forget traumatic memories at times or at least details of them.

The one criticism I had of the book is the conclusion of one of the mysteries. While essentially everything is solved there is one major story line that felt a little open-ended for my taste. I like when stories button everything up and you know every detail of what happened. In this book Hannah thinks she has figured out/remembered what happened but there is no proof. Even though she believes it to be true you are not sure if you can trust it. I was also confused about the very last sentence in the book and I cannot wait until this book comes out so I can discuss this with a friend.

Highly recommend this book and hope Kate Moretti keeps them coming!

Girls of Brackenhill started well and promised to be quite an intriguing mystery about what happens in Brackenhill and various girls' disappearances, but I found the premise and storytelling to be repetitive. I know the story revolves around Hannah and her missing sister and other girls. I felt I was getting beaten over the head with Hannah's questions about what happened. But I liked her as a character. She was realistic with her flaws and struggles with her finance.

I found it challenging to get through some of the chapters as I just didn't connect to the writing style or the story, and characters and events felt repetitive. The ending was okay, but it did leave me hanging a bit and not feeling a sense of satisfaction about a clear resolution. I did like Huck and felt bad for him how events turned out.

I will probably try other books by Kate Moretti, though, as I don't want to judge just by this one book.

#GirlsofBrackenhill #NetGalley

I still cannot get over the twists and turn of "Girls of Brackenhill"! One of the best thrillers I have read in a long time! Even at the end you will still have chills!