Based on the jacket copy, I was expecting something a bit creepier but this ended up being such a smart book about teenagers with mental illness. I feel like it described their situations well and honestly. I loved getting to know each of the girls and felt so much for them. I liked this a lot!

I've loved everything I've read by Sheinmel so far. I know the author covers mental health in such a realistic and sensitive way, so I was looking forward to The Castle School. That's where the excitement ends.

I don't know what went wrong with this one. The author definitely sticks to what she knows and everything related to mental health was handled ever so delicately and appropriately. It's the storyline that lacked. There was just . . . nothing there.

We follow our main character -- then her roommate, then the other girls -- around the school, and then to the boy's school. That's it. Day in and day out, it's what they do during the day and then they sneak out at night to the boys school. There's really no drama, no pivotal moment, just nothing. I was expecting some mysterious thing to explain the boys school. Nope.

I'll continue reading anything Alyssa Sheinmel pushes out, but this was a dud for me.

I'm so glad this book caught my eye-- Moira is sent away to a mysterious boarding school after her best friend dies of cancer & she's caught skipping school, skipping meals, and gets a tattoo. Initially, it gave me slight The Guest List or Mexican Gothic vibes in the way that it's very atmospheric, and I was able really able to visualize the setting-- but then it morphs into being more character driven about Moira. You're introduced to a group of other students and throughout the book you hear from their POV and learn about their presenting problems and what brought them to the Castle.

I really liked Moira, and her friendship with Nathan felt so real and raw. Even though he dies before the book begins, I really felt the gravity of their friendship and her pain in losing him. There is a lot that goes on, maybe too much-- you wonder what happened with her parents, what's going on with Randy, what's going on with the other school. The entire plot about the second castle, which is a big part if you read the synopsis-- really could have been skipped over all together & I would have loved more backstory on the other girls. Overall, I did really enjoy and realized I was a bit sad to have to stop reading about these characters once it was over.

I did not finish this book after realizing that it wasn't what I was expecting. I was looking for a thriller with some depth, but it wasn't...thriller-y enough for me? That doesn't mean it won't go in my library, of course. I can still see students reading this, and my preview of it will help me better connect the RIGHT reader with this story. Thank you for the review copy.

A very honest, and there fore occasionally troubling and bleak look at mental health from the POV of various teenage girls with problems that run the gamut from mild to severely impacting their lives. It ends up being a lovely story about acceptance, change, loss, grief and what it means to be at peace.

Really good YA book. I hadn't heard of this book or this author before, but it should added to more TBRs because it was very good!

Genre; YA

Moira

Notes 📝
Lost best friend, grief, castle, troubled girls, adventure, new place, friends, drama, death, parents.

This book was amazing, I loved reading it ❤️ the ‘crazy’ different troubled girls that are in the school that takes on subjects that even now society tries to keep quiet about.

A 5 star 🌟 read for me

I had high hopes for this book, unfortunately it didn’t reach the expectations I had for it. It was a fun read, but it did feel a bit dry at times and was starting to feel over rushed and repetitive.

I liked the unreliable narrator and thought she was written in a really compelling way. The setting was atmospheric and reminiscent of the prep-school-gone-wrong cover and description; that's what attracted me to the book in the first place, so I'm glad that it was a primary element. I did feel like there was a little bit of bait-and-switch and was left wanting a more explosive and intriguing ending. The conclusion fell flat for me and had so much potential to be dynamic and interesting. I also couldn't figure out what to make of the chapter structure; I liked getting to know each of the girls, but wasn't sure what it added to the story. Overall, I gave this 3/5 stars and even though I wanted a little more from the storytelling department, I liked the atmosphere and would recommend this book for anyone who wants a spooky season campus novel. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what happened from the first page. This book is set in Maine. The description of the castle school is perfect. I liked Moira Dreyfuss and Randy's characters. This book is in stores now for $17.99 (USD).

This book doesn't shy away from tough topics.
There is a lot going on in this book and I found it really addictive to read, but I don't really know why.
I guess Alyssa just has a way of reeling you into a story. Which is great! I love that a lot.
I loved the mental illness rep, and am glad it was done well, too.

Absolutely brilliant!

The world biulding in this book is phenomenal, the characters are well rounded, and the plot is fast [aced and sucks you right in!

This book definitely wasn't what I was expecting and although I appreciate the way it tackled some mental health issues, at times it felt as though I was reading a textbook. It was somewhat repetitive and I just didn't become attached to the characters in a way that I would have hoped.

Great book! Lots of unexpected moments and learned a lot about many different things young people experience and how cruel one another can be to each other as well as themselves.

This book did not excite me very much. We most likely wont purchase for our collection because it doesn't seem like it will get a lot of attraction at our library

Elements of thriller and suspense novels, as well as a boarding school potential. Unfortunately, those elements were mostly teases, as they were never fulfilled. While it is a YA novel, the introduction of more serious topics, lead me to believe it would be a book with a stronger focus on the 'A' piece of YA. Which, I should state, is my preference within this genre. I did enjoy this novel. It started off exciting and I was certainly pulled in and intrigued. However, it slowed down rather swiftly. Overall, I continued to feel interested just enough, to keep reading, but it wasn't a priority for me.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel.

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This book wasn't what I was expecting. Based on the description I was expecting something darker and more of a thriller, however this is a hard hitting YA contemporary. As someone who reads alot of thrillers, this is not a thriller at all. While there are secrets that main character Moira uncovers, they aren't dark, sinister, mysterious, or fantastical. This book deals with grief, mental health, friendship, and recovery. I probably would have never read this had I not been mislead by the description. This isn't normally the type of book I gravitate towards, but I still enjoyed it.

The main character Moira is shipped off to The Castle School after her parents decide they can't deal with her troublesome behavior any longer. Moira feels like she is being sent away as a punishment for not living up to her mother's expectations. Moira finds herself surrounded by 11 other girls who each have their own story and their own path to recovery at the Castle. We do get a few pages about each of the girls and how they ended up at the Castle School, but for the most part the character development is focused mainly on Moira and not on the other 11 girls in the book. I did feel it was a nice touch that we got their backstories so we understood them each a bit better.

Moira is determined that Dr. Prince can't help her, and she thinks his methods and rules are all stupid. After all she is being punished right? So when she hears music coming from somewhere and finds the lock on her window broken she of course has to investigate. This is the part where you expect the thriller/mystery aspect to take off, but what she finds is an identical school full of boys, they don't have the same rules as the girls so of course Moira thinks they have it better. It is a "the grass is always greener" kind of situation. As Moira progresses through her therapy, she also learns that the grass isn't always greener as she gets to know more about the boys at "fun castle" and the girls at her own castle.

Overall, I thought this book was well written and I did enjoy it. I do feel that the synopsis could have been more clearly written and this should have been clearly marketed as a heavy hitting contemporary.

I really enjoyed reading this book, such a lovely story and having Scout, the dog, in was the icing on the cake. Fiona writes beautifully and I love reading her books. I can thoroughly recommend this one.

This book is not at all what I expected. A very heavy book with lots of content warnings throughout. Love the premise around mental health, also allowing it to be a mystery to keep the reader intrigued. Lots of insights in this book about family, mental health, grief, and trauma. I think a lot of teens will relate to many of the girls' stories. I will say, there are a lot of main characters to keep track of.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this novel.

When Moira Dreyfuss's parents announce that they're sending her to an all-girls boarding school deep in the Maine woods, Moira isn't fooled. She knows her parents are punishing her; she's been too much trouble since her best friend, Nathan, died―and for a while before that. At the Castle School, isolated from the rest of the world, Moira will be expected to pour her heart out to the odd headmaster, Dr. Prince. But she isn't interested in getting over Nathan's death or befriending her fellow students.

On her first night there, Moira hears distant music. On her second, she discovers the lock on her window is broken. On her third, she and her roommate venture outside...and learn that they're not so isolated after all. There's another, very different, Castle School nearby―this one filled with boys whose parents sent them away, too.

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..

I'll start off by warning you with the possible triggers the novel has Addiction, Cancer, Eating disorder, Self-harm, Medical content, Grief, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Familial discourse, Terminal illness, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts. The book can be a heavy read for people so please keep this in mind before reading. This is an emotional and heartbreaking novel but also thought provoking, It's a well written book with memorable characters and presents great psychological approach to those brave fighters. Highly recommend.