The Castle School: For Troubled Girls is an emotional book about self-recovery following the story of Moira Dreyfuss who is unable to go on her days without thinking about the loss of her best friend, Nathan.

Being in Moira’s mind is another kind of experience entirely. I got a glimpse of her grief, her constant remembrance of Nathan injected frequently in her monologues. It was really sad being in her head, the way she’s consumed with grief and going on her days as if adjusting to not being a part of a half. Sheinmel has captured Moira’s grief between pages completely and perfectly raw. I’m glad with how real Moira’s character is portrayed.

Within the castle, Moira meets other girls who are in need of help just like herself. They instantly formed a bond from the beginning. They were all comfortable with each other due to the things they have in common. Individually, they have their own battles to conquer which are given a spotlight at some point in the book for a better understanding of the characters. There wasn’t euphemism with their portrayals which is rare to find in contemporary books tackling mental issues. I appreciate the way it was written, made me feel emotionally attached to the characters.

Alyssa Sheinmel really put effort and research when writing this book with her objective approach to such heavy topics. It was an eye-opener and has touched me quite deeply. Looking forward to reading more of her works.

I would like to preface this review with: I feel misled. This book is marketed as though it is a mystery. It’s listed on Goodreads with “Mystery” as a subgenre. Marketing a book is incredibly important, and for people like me who know what kind of genres they enjoy, this is frustrating. It also causes people who don’t want contemporary to read this book and end up with not great reviews because, well, it’s not what they expected.

The way each of the girl's mental illnesses is written feels well researched and well-considered. I felt that was well done and worth noting. Moira actually has character growth, albeit a bit suddenly. It felt as though she worked through her grief rather quickly to conveniently wrap up the book, which was a bit frustrating. As often happens with books like these, the romance in it was completely unnecesarry. Moira was just learning how to have friends, I don’t think navigating a romantic relationship was necessary.

All in all, this was a 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.

I’m not quite sure how to put my feelings about this one into words. Going into it, I definitely thought this was going to be a more sinister-driven book, with a hell of a lot more mystery, but it was simply an exploration of grief. With that being said, I’m not sure if I would say this was good or bad for that matter… it was just eh.

What I liked: the atmosphere of the book, the back stories of the other girls, and Sheinmel’s decent depiction of mental illnesses (this is no surprise since her other book A Danger to Herself and Others also depicted mental illness.)

What I didn’t like: The main character, Moira. The problem was not that she suffered from depression or even that she was grieving for her best friend. It was that she was annoying af, insanely selfish, hypocritical and straight up stupid at times. I get that grief affects us in unimaginable ways, but I went from sympathizing to wanting her to stf up very quickly. I also felt like I was always waiting for something to happen that never did.

I am a sucker for an academic approach and knew I would love this, however what I loved the most was the focus on mental health!

Each girl had me emphasising with their individual struggles.

It was sweet & heartbreaking, a real honest look of grief and healing.

I always appreciate this author's books and this was no exception. I found The Castle School to be a fast-paced and emotional read. The author did a great job of portraying various different types of mental health issues facing teenage girls, while also writing a story that delved deep into the importance of relationships, and the healing potential of both family and friendship. Overall a great read and I would highly recommend this book.

DNF at 25%. Not poorly written, just not for me. Too many characters and things happening, and the main character is extremely repetitive. Started skimming quite early on. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

Moira's parents don't know what to do with her. She hasn't been the same since her best friend Nathan died, she's been skipping school, disappearing in the middle of the night, and now she had a tattoo. At least, that is what she thinks when they send her away to a remote boarding school, the Castle School.

Moira knows she doesn't need to be here. She doesn't need therapy or help. How else is she meant to be feeling when Nathan is gone? And the Castle school certainly seems like a punishment - no phones, curfews, sharing a room, therapy sessions. The only good thing about this school is Randy, the son of headmaster Dr Prince.

But late at night, Moira hears faint music coming from the woods. Where can it be coming from given their isolation? So, Moria and her roommate decide to explore, made possible by a broken lock on their window.
What they find when following the music is another Castle school, This one is all boys and it is run by a different Dr Prince, the wife of their own Dr Prince. And they have all the freedoms that the girls have had taken away.

And so begins a nightly ritual of the girls sneaking over to the boys' school.

But as Moira gets to know the other girls, as she starts to engage with Dr Prince in their therapy sessions, as she gets to know Randy more, she begins to question everything. Did her parents really send her away because they didn't know what else to do with her? Is she really to blame for how Nathan died?

This book surprised me. From the title I expected another boarding school psychological thriller. But it is so much more. This is a masterful and realistic exploration into mental health, with sensitive portrayals of each of the issues that the individual girls are living with.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the ARC.

Wow this was so amazing! It included a combination of some of my favorite elements in a novel! I really loved the setting, characters, and overall message in this.

“So, this is what is,” I begin. “I’m going to miss Nathan every day for the rest of my life. And some days it’ll hurt so much I can’t stand it, and some days it’ll just be a dull ache, but it will probably always be there.”

Moira is dealing with the loss of her best friend from cancer, sent away to a school out in the middle of nowhere for sneaking out to visit his grave and getting a tattoo. The other girls all have problems of their own - one has an eating disorder while another one has ran away from home so many times, her parents sent her somewhere else.

I didn't know how i was going to feel about this book. It dragged for me for the first couple 100 pages or so and the main character didn't really strike me as the protagonist at all. But after I got through the beginning, it started to pick up for me. The other castle school intrigued me, and i liked the way that it was a complete contrast from Moira's.

The snow scene, where the staff take them all outside to play in the snow, was really cute and i liked the fun happy banter in a novel that's dealing not only with grief of a friend, but also grief of being ripped away from the only place you've known and settling into a strange new place and how to process and deal with that.

Overall, it was a really cute novel. The plot was entertaining, the characters were a delight, and the way the author had the main character process her grief was very new and raw to me that i had to rethink even how i think about grief.

"Maybe happily ever after means accepting what is, remembering what was, and looking forward to whatever is coming next."

This book was so much more than I expected it to be based on the blurb. I expected a classic mystery, which I love, but this had a lot more depth. Moira's grief and healing felt so real and honest. I also thought the portrayal of mental illness and other issues was done so well, and I loved the addition of other POV's and stories to add to this book. I know this will be a book I recommend to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this!

The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) is a phenomenal book. I could not put it down so I ended up reading it in one sitting. It is not at all what I was expecting. The story is about a girl who gets sent to a "school" to help her out. At first, it seems like any other rehab type place, except for the big cold castle, the odd rules, and the secrets. But then she discovers something, another school nearby that is identical to the one she is at. I won't say much more so I do not ruin it for you. It so well written. The main character Moira is great. I liked how each girl at the school got a chapter to let us know their story. I really thought things were going to go one way and then they didn't. The book deals with so many important issues like death, depression, addiction, self-harm, anorexia, and more. I really think this is one that everyone should read. Not only is this an enjoyable book, but it is also a very important story. I loved it and could not recommend it more.

I’m not totally sure what I was expecting when I requested this book, but it wasn’t what I found. That being said, I loved this story and once I got a few chapters in I could not tear myself way. It was sweet and heartbreaking (tears may have been shed), A truly honest look at grief and healing. Moira is taken by surprise when two goons show up to escort her to a private school for “troubled girls.” The school isn’t what was she was expecting either, but solving the mystery of what exactly it was will force her to see the whole picture of why she was sent there in the first place. I loved that there were single chapters from the other girls so you got a glimpse into their lives and not just what they presented to Moira.

I loved this book! I want to thank Alyssa B. Sheinmel for creating such an accurate portrayal of mental illness and creating characters that all go through hard time and cope in different ways. When I started this book I was expecting a big mystery and then I got a 12 Dancing Princesses vibe but this story wasn't anything like I was expecting. It was a story about grief and all the ways it presents itself and about understanding that everyone processes things differently and even though it is different it doesn't make it wrong. This was beautifully written and I think everyone should have to read this book because how realistic and how all encompassing this book is.

I’m not quite sure how to put my feelings about this into words. I definitely thought this was going to be a more sinister-driven book, with a hell of a lot more mystery, but it was simply an exploration of grief and how it affects someone. So don’t expect anything other than contemporary, despite the cover and the description. I wavered quite a bit throughout about whether or not this was good or not, so let’s start with the good.

I really enjoyed reading about the other girls. Something about their backgrounds and the way they were written were intriguing and just short enough to leave you wanting more. I liked that this showed you how hard it is for someone to move past something as awful as grief, and what it feels like to move on. I loved the accurate portrayal of living with a mental illness. And I enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the book.

Sadly, there were a lot more negatives than positives. I didn’t mind Moira at first, and I obviously felt for her situation.

But over time...I just wanted to punch her in the face.

The way she repeated every single god damn thing really started to get to me after a while, especially when she kept talking about how everyone was pronouncing her name and when she kept saying that Nathan was her best friend. I HEAR YOU. It was too much after a while and SO over dramatic, and she went from someone you felt bad for because of this huge thing she went through to someone you wanted to shake and tell her to stop it.

And I understand, I really do, that losing someone like that affects you in unimaginable ways. My problem was not that she suffered from loss or depression. It was that she was annoying af, insanely selfish, and straight up stupid at times, as well as hypocritical. At one point she even mentioned to another girl that it wasn’t good to only let one person be the one to make you feel better about yourself when she literally spent the entire book talking about how Nathan was her only friend and how she didn’t need anyone else because she had him and who needs other people when you have a friendship like theirs.

There were a lot more things and a lot more moments about Moira that annoyed me, but I’ll move on before I just go on a tangent because those were my biggest issues. The other thing that I didn’t enjoy about this book is that nothing seemed to HAPPEN. Every time something interesting occurred, or I thought some shit was about to go down, it just didn’t. It wasn’t boring, per se, it just wasn’t about anything in particular (except Moira’s whining as stated above).

Overall, I’m pretty disappointed with this, but maybe I’m just getting older and have no patience for bratty, idiotic teenagers who use the bad things that happen to them as an excuse. Or maybe I’m just an asshole who likes to shit on the bad things people are going through. Either way, I personally wouldn’t recommend this, but to each their own.

LOTS of trigger warnings here: death of a loved one, cancer, self-harm, eating disorders, depression, and I'm probably missing some.

I absolutely enjoyed The Castle School (For Troubled Girls) by Alyssa Sheinmel. It was mysterious as well as kind of a therapy, made me understand things about grief and life that I didn't, which I think is pretty great for a book of this genre. It made me cry and hope and laugh. I really recommend this one to anyone who might need help grieving, it helped me. It was also about love, friendship, self-discovery and family.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook copy in exchange of my honest opinion.

This book was not what I was expecting based off the description, which made it seem like there would be a mystery or supernatural element to the story. There was not. The book was well written and all of the characters were fully fleshed out. I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book, when it still had the potential to fulfill it's description, but the last third was basically a drawn out therapy session and disappointing. I feel like if I had known what I was getting into, I would have been able to enjoy the book more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for access to this arc.

I loved this book.

1.) Most books about a girl getting shipped off to a boarding school I find very boring and lame. This one was very different then most.
2.) How the author wrote this book it was like you could feel how Moria was feeling. When she brought up her dead friend Nathan it was heartbreaking.
3.) The author brings up a lot of mental health issues. I'm very glad she did because she's saying it's ok to feel this way, or have this urges. Wish help they'll go away.

Moira Dreyfuss is reeling after the death of her best friend, Nathan. She is supposed to be in her senior year of high school looking forward to the future, but instead, she is cutting class, fighting with her parents, and sneaking out to visit her best friend's grave. Moira's parents decide to send her to The Castle School in the hopes that it will their daughter.

The Castle School is in the middle of Maine and does not allow their students to have WiFi or know the actual date. Moira is introduced to the other students, 11 girls who have seemingly different problems than her own. Her world is radically changed as she goes through therapy with Dr. Prince, experiences a "schooling" with no rules and has meals with the other girls. Also, on the property is Dr. Prince's son Randy who Moira seems to have a connection with from their first meeting. Moira hears music from her window and along with her roommate she discovers another Castle School on the property completely different than the one the girls are living in. These boys seem to have a very different experience than their female counterparts and that leads Moira to question the doctor's methods. Through her time at the school, Moira is forced to confront the actual reason she is there and to deal with her feelings about Nathan's death.

I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book. I enjoyed how the majority of the story was told from Moira's point of view, but the reader got to read about the other characters' backstories. Sheinmel allows us to really follow Moira on her grief journey and I found myself tearing as the character worked through her emotions of the loss of her friend. Sheinmel crafted a beautiful, well0-done story that touches on alcoholism, cutting, OCD, depression and more. I loved these characters and was genuinely sad when it was over.

This novel is definitely a YA novel that I will be adding to my classroom library the moment it is released. Thank you to NetGalley for the ability to review this novel.

This was a lot different than I was expecting. I love boarding school books! I love the gossip, the drama. I didn’t really get that with this book. I thought it was going to be more of a thriller or suspense. It ended up being a pretty sentimental read about grief and growth. The therapy sessions between Moira and her doctor were very interesting and in-depth. I found the characters and their variety of illnesses a bit cliched, but can forgive this as it is a YA read. The ending was really sad, but in a positive way, and definitely brought a few tears to my eyes.

“The thing is, mom’s right about one thing: I deserve to be punished. She’s just wrong about why.”

My Thoughts
I became a huge fan of Alyssa Sheinmel after reading her book A Danger to Herself and Others. That book was really good! So, I was extremely excited to get an invitation from the publisher to read and review her upcoming book. Here are my pros and cons for The Castle School:

Pros

1. Moira loves trivia so there are a lot of interesting and unique tidbits of information included throughout the book. Nothing wrong with learning something while you are reading a great story, right?
2. This book addresses a lot of various mental health and behavioral issues, including OCD, ADHD, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, self-mutism, kleptomania, alcoholism, drug use, grief, school dropouts, and runaways. If any of these issues are triggers for you, then be advised they are talked about regularly throughout the book, but self-harm and grief are given particular attention. I will say, however, these topics are handled with extreme care in the book. This author excels at discussing mental health issues in a way that makes them understandable to people who wouldn’t normally understand. She thoroughly and clearly explains how and why some people have these issues and she then incorporates self-care and counseling into the story. I found it eye-opening to learn about some of the causes and emotions behind some of these issues. There is never blame or ridicule in the story, but instead the story is filled with understanding and healing.
3. This is a great book to get some perspective on how teens can experience the world. We were all teens once (some of you may still be) and we’ve all experienced that “you just don’t understand” moment with our parents or teachers. But the fact is that we likely weren’t actually mature enough or experienced enough to understand that we (as teens) didn’t always have the full picture or the tools to handle and understand what we were experiencing. One of the biggest plusses of this book for me was how the author presents both perspectives – the parents and the girls – and how each of them learned how to provide care and help to each other even though they didn’t understand why something was happening the way it was. I think this would be a great book for parents and teens to read – particularly in families where mental or behavioral health issues are present.
4. There are 12 girls at the school. Every couple of chapters in the book there is a short chapter that provides the backstory for each girl. This backstory explains the impetus of their issue(s) and what event ultimately resulted in them getting sent to the Castle School. Those chapters were very insightful.
5. The conversation Moira has with her mother near the end of the book had me crying like a baby. It was so incredibly emotional and powerful.
6. I loved how Moira learned that doing the right thing doesn’t always mean keeping secrets or promises. The right thing to do isn’t always the easiest thing to do.
7. Dr. Prince is awesome and how he helped Moira deal with her grief was amazing. I’m not a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a counselor of any kind, but I honestly believe anyone having issues dealing with grief would benefit from the information in this book.

Cons

1. I feel like the synopsis might be misleading… not necessarily intentionally, but misleading nonetheless. There is almost a hint of supernatural or some thriller element in the synopsis that is not in the actual story. I think some other readers who have given this book lower ratings were disappointed for this very reason – they were expecting a different kind of story than what they actually read.

Summary
This book is exceptional in my opinion. It is not only a great story, but it emphasizes communication and self-care, both of which are so important.

If you are struggling with grief, this book could help you. If you are a parent of a child with mental or behavioral health issues, this book might give you some perspective. If you are a teen or a young adult struggling with a mental or behavioral health issue, this book might help you understand that there are ways to get help and that needing help is not something to be ashamed of. I honestly feel like I went through counseling myself while reading this book. I definitely learned some things about mental and behavioral health issues.

Did I mention that it is a great story as well? Read this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcefire Books for a free eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.