I have a lasting fondness for boarding school books, so while I like this one fine, it's probably not on the top of my list of recommendations. Moira isn't a particularly compelling protagonist and the mystery set up here isn't all that mysterious. And while being able to guess the mystery isn't a dealbreaker for me at all, it felt like Sheinmel wanted to thrill and impress you with any and all twists and it just didn't work. Not a total dud, but I won't be rereading it any time soon.

Alyssa Sheinmel always discusses mental health in such a nuanced way, and I was sure that this would be no different.

The discussions and the de-stigmatization of mental health is definitely at the forefront of this book. Moira is in a school with girls who are struggling with a variety of mental health issues, and what I liked was that we got to hear from each of them throughout. Giving a little background about each girl rounds out each character, further pulling you into this fictional school Sheinmel has created. It also adds to the mystery lurking underneath the text.

That being said, this didn’t quite have the urgency of Sheinmel’s other books. In those books, you could feel the tension as the mystery unraveled, but I didn’t feel that as much in this book. I was more interested in the girls and their relationship than I was in the mystery. For me, it didn’t take away a whole lot from the book, but I could see how that might make certain readers less interested.

All in all, this is a great look at the mental health in teen girls, especially portraying therapy in a positive light. While you maybe won’t pick this up for the mystery, I definitely recommend picking it up for the characters!

Not what I was expecting at all. I thought it would be a very easy mystery-style YA thriller- Karen McManus meets Wednesday Adams but it was really more Juno Dawson with lashings of Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Since her best friend Nathan died, Moira's parents think she's been out of control and they retaliate by sending her to a Boarding School for troubled girls.
12 Girls are enrolled in this isolated Castle with strict rules and structured learning.
On the first night, Moira hears music, on the second night she discovers the lock on her window is broken and on the third night she and her roommate discover another Castle hidden in the woods.
Moira is convinced that the Castle Schools and the doctors who run them are hiding something. But exploring the schools will force Moira to confront her overwhelming grief―and the real reasons her parents sent her away.

As an exploration of mental health issues, grief and what parents and patients go through, I thought it was excellent.
I enjoyed Moira's growth and the way she started to get closer to her fellow students. Her internal debates were fascinating and her gradual realisations made sense.
An excellent read.

Definitely not what I expected in the best way! This was like a more relatable, more tender, Girl, Interrupted. "We can't keep the people we love alive by putting our own lives on hold. In fact, we can't put our lives on hold at all. Time marches on, even when we don't want it to."
I would recommend this for older teens for sure. Don't go in expecting a thriller and you'll like it a lot more.

As she works her way through her grief at a friend's death, her means of communication is to rebel against her "normal" life. Her parents solution to her actions....a boarding school where girls like her receive treatment. While an often used story line, Alyssa Sheinmel gives it a twist when these young women find there is Boy's home to match theirs and it's close by.
The center of the story line is that the young women are not rebellious, their actions are the only way they know to communicate their inability to cope with life's stressors. As they learn to better express their feelings, the story becomes one of growth and moving into maturity.

Interesting storyline that felt like a mysterious thriller, a genre I am finally getting into to. I would recommend this book to anyone that is keen to those types of books, but was not my favorite either. Still a good read, with strong female leads!

"The Castle School (For Troubled Girls)" by Alyssa Sheinmel is a heart-wrenching novel that beautifully captures the pain and struggles of teenage girls dealing with various emotional and psychological issues. Set in a therapeutic boarding school, the story follows the journey of sixteen-year-old Moira, who struggles with depression and self-harm after the death of her best friend.

The author's writing style is gripping and evocative, and she expertly captures the complex emotions of the characters, making the story feel incredibly real and relatable. The story addresses themes of mental health, grief, trauma, and the importance of support and friendship, highlighting the healing power of empathy and kindness.

The characters are well-developed and authentic, and their individual struggles and experiences are sensitively portrayed. The friendships and relationships that develop between the characters are heartwarming, and the reader can't help but root for their success and happiness.

However, the only criticism about this novel is that there is not much of a mystery element to the story. It is labelled as a mystery thriller but I don't think that is appropriate since I was able to guess what was coming up for a really long time.

Overall, "The Castle School (For Troubled Girls)" is a poignant and thought-provoking read that sheds light on the challenges faced by young girls dealing with mental health issues. Alyssa Sheinmel has delivered a powerful and moving story that will resonate with readers of all ages. It's a must-read for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of the struggles that teenagers face, and the importance of providing them with the support they need to heal and thrive.

This wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it's still a very good book. I assumed The Castle School (for troubled girls) would be a thriller, but it's really more serious contemporary fiction about mental health with a slight mystery element.

Moira has been acting out since the death of her best friend and getting a tattoo is the last straw for her Jewish parents. They announce they are sending her to a boarding school where she and the other girls will get therapy and a chance to heal. But things seem strange to Moira, they have little to no contact with the outside world, and then they discover another school through the woods where there are only boys. (See why it sounded like a thriller?)

But there's really not that much tension or mystery. Instead this follows the journey of a girl grieving and in pain, alongside other girls with their own struggles. It gently tackles issues of mental health and trauma, offering not only the external, diagnosed perspective but also the internal one and complicated reasons for things. I thought it was a really beautiful book about pain and healing and overcoming your own biases. Note that there is semi-graphic material dealing with a variety of issues involving different girls including depression, self-harm, disordered eating, addiction, grief, pulling out hair (I know there's a term for this, but don't recall it), running away from home, and cancer. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a bit of a slower one to get through. It had so much potential but I had a hard time connecting to the characters and relating. It didn't feel like the author knew what genre this book wanted to be.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Alyssa B. Sheinmel really does write mental illness well. This is only the second book of hers I've read so far, but of the ones I have, they're truly quite thought-provoking.

I keep finding myself deeply impressed by her books, despite feeling as though they're somewhat slow overall. I can't quite decide whether it would be better if certain reveals happened sooner or not, though. In the end, there's a lot to appreciate about the stories she decides to tell.

Perhaps the biggest deterrent to Sheinmenl's work is really that these are the kinds of books you have to be in the mood to read and, unfortunately for me at least, I'm not always in the mental headspace to explore these topics in the way she does. But, on the occasions that I am, I've found her books to be truly remarkable.

The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) definitely falls into that category.

I found this book super boring and tedious. It felt like the author was just trying to fill space rather than properly telling a story. I got over a hundred pages in and still had not learned anything that wasn't in the synopsis. I couldn't finish the book.

This book was not what I expected. While the look at the different reasons the girls are at the school are interesting, I feel like the actual story was a little forgettable. It was not a book that left me wanting to know more or to tell anyone else about this book.

I enjoyed this raw Abby poignant exploration of grief and how responses to grief. Great setting and characterisations, I was expecting more of a psychological thriller theme in the book but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I love a good boarding school book, and this one delivers. I love how Moira slowly discovers the mystery of the Castle School, and that we, as readers. are drawn in along with her. This book oozes intrigue. It was delightfully dark and spooky.

A beautiful and honest story about grief, loss, and depression. This story does not hold back in its portrayal of real emotions, so it may not be suitable for all readers. That being said, I sincerely appreciate the mental health representation, and Moira is a great main character. The POVs switch quite frequently, which I usually don’t like, but I think it worked well in this instance. Four stars!

This one was right up my alley. Strong female relationships, mental health issues, etc. It was a fast read!

OMG! So good! I love The Castle School and Moira is kick a**!. Moira feels that her parents are punishing her by sending her away to the Castle School for troubled girls because of her actions following the death of her BFF. However, there is always more to the school...Great characters, strong and fearless. It earns 5 stars easily.

Overall, I felt like this was a really well written story about mental illness and healing and coping with grief. I've enjoyed the authors previous books and have always enjoyed the style she writes her books. However, I felt a little mislead by the synopsis and spent majority of this book waiting for something that never came and while I'm not necessarily upset over it I also feel like I couldn't enjoy this as much as I wanted too.

I was expecting a much different story than what I found, but I didn't really mind that. Sheinmel wrote a beautiful novel that revolves around being a teenager. As someone who has suffered from mental illness for most of my life, I really appreciate it when an author faces those issues head-on. I think it is really important to normalize working through your emotions. I wish there was more of a spooky element to the story or a more plot-driven storyline, but it was delightful nonetheless.