The Castle School wasn’t what I was expecting honestly. I was expecting a mystery type thriller. While it’s not what I got, I still really enjoyed it. I think my favorite thing about this book were the characters. Getting to read each characters POV and learn about their lives before the Castle was very interesting to me. I love that their mental illnesses were written with sensitivity. The author did a great job with it. Overall I enjoyed The Castle School and I look forward to what this author gives us next!

I will be looking forward to the next future book from Ms. Sheinmal since Castel School (for Troubled Girls) had potential but sadly I felt like the plot just did not go anywhere. I wanted to know so much more about the two schools; what exactly the boys had done to end up there; the relationship between the Drs. Castle and their son. The climax just did not seem that dramatic for me for all the build up. As I was reading, I kept thinking this is like Big Chief in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. We are lost in the "fog" because she is lost in the fog. I just did not find her final reveal was all that surprising and did not understand the slow reveal of her story with Nathan. There was all this build up to fairly normal teen problem. There was no twist or final surprise. And frankly, I am not sure again why her mom actually sent her to the school. Seems like it could have been handled locally. I would rate the book at C+/B-.

I greatly enjoyed this book. The book opens pretty much in the middle of some action going on. The reader is introduced to a girl named Moira who has gotten a tattoo using a fake ID after the death of her best friend. Her mother, in desperation, sends her to The Castle School. Moira believes it is because she is difficult to handle and her mother is giving up. Only slowly over the course of the novel does one find out her mother's real intentions and the secrets behind her friend's death.

Growing up, I always had disagreements with my mother and we didn't get along. I was suffering from depression and didn't open up and we always ended up fighting. I could definitely understand where Moira was coming from, feeling that their fights were only because of how tired of her that her mother has become.

This book was greatly enjoyable and I was sad to see the book end. I loved how it was told from several different perspectives and you get to see the true backstories of each troubled girl and not just what they wanted to show. Each character had their own problems and seemed very real and life-like. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good YA book featuring mental illnesses or troubled teens.

Is the synopsis of this book slightly misleading, yes. Did I still enjoy and like this book, surprisingly yes.

The Castle School (for Trouble Girls) follows Moira whose parents send her to a boarding school that is supposed to help her deal with the loss of her best friend Nathan. Once Moira is at this boarding school and she meets the other girls she starts to see that this isn't like a normal boarding school and instead they are all dealing with some things and are working through them while at this school. The girls get closer and as time goes on and they even discover that they aren't as alone as they originally thought they were as they discover another school not very far away that also has students that are working through things.

Throughout this book, we get to learn so much about Moira and why she has been acting this way and how she felt, and why she felt that way. We also have some amazing side-characters who were also well thought out and have important storylines as well. This book deals with several mental illnesses and even the loss of someone you care about deeply. Now I know that makes it sound like it was a very heavy book, but I can honestly say I flew through this book because of how it was written. I needed to see what Moira and the other girls were going to get through next and how they were going to be by the end of the school year.

Overall I really liked and enjoyed this book. Sheinmel dealt with all of the things happening around Moira in such a good way that made it so we could see both Moira's side of things and her parent's side of things as time was going on. We also got to see all of the different girls go through things and work through them and how they were starting to be truly happy again as well. So much growth was started during this book and it was nice to see even if it wasn't the mystery book that I originally thought I was going to be getting.

I'm interested in going back now and reading Sheinmel's backlist and seeing if I can find any other books I enjoy as much as this one.

I really felt a connection to this book, though definitely be aware of triggers: this book unflinchingly describes mental illness and it's various symptoms such as self-harm, eating disorders, drug abuse, and grief.

It's hard to say I "enjoyed" this book since the subject matter is so dark, but I appreciated it, becuase mental illness and grief are not often portrayed in such honest terms, and I liked how the author took the time to set up the story of each girl, so we learned about them- not just their illnesses.

The message of hope after grief was especially moving to me, as I've dealt with a lot of that in the past few years. Grief is something that touches all of us, but is so rarely mentioned, I liked how Moira got to experience it fully and still move forward.

I'd recommend this book to ya drama lovers, but warn them about the triggers.

Thank you Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting look at grief and how perception can differ from reality when one's immersed in it, and given that we're in year two of a pandemic, I think Moira's grief and her slow acceptance that her grief was, in fact, truly seen by her parents. The inclusion of the other girls's povs, while interesting, wasn't quite as fleshed out as I'd liked it to have been, but overall, I think this would be good for teens who feel isolated right now.

The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) by Alyssa Sheinmel was an interesting read about a girl who loses her best friend and how she deals with it vs. how her mother wishes she would deal with it. Within this last year of chaos we've all gone a little crazy, gotten a little anxiety and become a little depressed. If you are a modern day female living in the covid age this book is for you.

When I first picked up Alyssa Sheinmel's The Castle School (for Troubled Girls), I was expecting another thriller/mystery about an all-girls boarding school. This is not that kind of book. And, as much as I love that kind of book, I really enjoyed what this book had to offer as well.

When Moira Dreyfuss' parents are at their wit's end with Moira's behavior in the aftermath of her best friend's death, they decide to send her away to The Castle School. What Moira finds there, is a sisterhood of individuals coping with their own losses and challenges.

Sheinmel approaches mental health issues in a way that is rarely done, both realistically and affirming, which this reader appreciated.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

✨Five Reasons to Read this Book!✨
1. The mystery—why were each of the girls sent here, and why is there a second Castle School? What are they hiding? I needed to figure this out!
2. The depiction of grief and loss—it’s incredibly thoughtful and at times heart wrenching.
3. Set at a boarding school—I’m a fan of this trope because I feel like so much can happen when characters are away at a school like this!
4. Coming of age—Moira is a believable character who hasn’t dealt with her huge loss yet, and reading how she learns how to live while not forgetting is so important for readers who may be going through what she’s going through to see.
5. Female friendships!—I just loved seeing how all the girls began to trust each other.
•
I recommend this book for readers who love contemporary books that don’t shy away from intense subjects like grief and loss. I think it’s important to see books like these for readers who are struggling the way Moira and the other girls are struggling. It’s a great book to show that you’re not alone.

This was a fun read but completely unrealistic and because of the subject matter dangerous to put into students' hands as it can be misleading.

This book was an absolutely stunning portrayal of grief and learning to not move on, but to move forward. I love Moira and her journey was deeply emotional and done so well. The secondary characters were also all very interesting, and I’m left wanting more of their stories.

I was immediately caught up in Moira's narrative and the mystery of the Castle school. The author deftly weaves Moira's grief into her perceptions of her parents, the school staff, and the other students. The author's choice to include short chapters about the other girls at the school provides a richer background for all of Moira's interactions. I enjoyed following Moira's self-discovery as she uncovered the mysteries of the Castle school and loved the hopefulness of the ending. I'm a huge fan of this author's writing style, which captures an authentic teen voice. Highly recommended if you like emotional YA books.

I highly recommend this book. Different than what I normally read and completely unputdownable.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the thrill of reading early.

The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)
Author: Alyssa B Sheinmal
Genre: YA Contemporary/Mystery
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ • ⭐️ / 5
Reviewed: Maya

[Trigger Warning: death of a friend, grief, cancer, graphic description of self-harm (cutting) including methods, eating disorders (anorexia), chronic depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, addiction (painkillers), confinement, suicide attempt, bullying, mental illness, trichotillomania, OCD]

I loved reading this book - it was such a quick and addictive storyline. The characters were all very real and interesting - each had their own POV chapter at some point throughout the novel which really allowed me to understand their personalities and mindsets on a deeper level. It is impossible to not emotionally connect with every single character, which is the clear display of how talented Sheinmal is. The exploration of mental health in the novel is done perfectly and Sheinmal is able to create characters that are not the stereotypical teenagers. At the beginning of the book, I did struggle to remember each of the girl’s names and their backgrounds, however over time it became much clearer. The mystery aspects within the novel were done so well - I couldn’t put the book down and I always had to know what was going to happen next. The storyline was not what I expected but I still loved it, and was one of the reasons that I have rated this book so highly. I recommend this book to everybody.

Huge thanks to Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Fire and of course Alyssa B Scheinmal for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is set for the 2nd of March, 2021.

The Castle School for Troubled Girls ended up being a complete surprise of a book, and I haven't yet decided if that's a good thing for me. I wish I had had a few trigger warnings, or better yet, a better synopsis? I feel like the synopsis of the book led me to think that the book was going to be a murder mystery/cult-y/thriller. However, the book is, at its core, an exploration of mental health and even grief. I don't think this is a bad thing but I wasn't expecting it, especially having certain issues myself.

Moving forward...Moira is sent away to an all girls boarding school to receive therapy and heal following the death of her best friend. In this new, dreary place she has no contact with the outside world until she follows this eerie music and discovers an all boys school on the land nearby. Throughout the book we learn the stories of Moira and the other girls and the author does a good job facing mental health issues head on.

I'll go ahead and put the TW's out there: grief, addiction, self-harm, depression, eating disorders. Nod to the author for treating these sensitive topics with grace, care and empathy.

In Alyssa Sheinmel's The Castle School (for Troubled Girls), that paranthetical of the title is a forgotten, half-erased, almost embarrassing inclusion - just like the girls, and their troubles, at the heart of the story. This is a book that could so easily have been handled poorly, given the variety of troubles in question (on which note, content warnings abound, by the way!). But Sheinmel writes with deftness and delicacy about the girls and their myriad issues, and I'm not ashamed to admit I had a hard time reading the end through my tears.

It is, in short, a raw, vulnerable, and carefully rendered exploration of grief, depression, anxiety, mental health, parent-child relationships, escape, freedom - so, so many things. What it isn't, really, is a thriller, and I do think the marketing on this was pretty misleading. But I almost don't mind, because I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. And I'm so glad I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advance review copy!

Content warnings (this may not be an exhaustive list): Grief, death, hospitalization, self-harm, eating disorders, confinement, kleptomania, trichotillomania, depression, anxiety

The Castle School (For Troubled Girls) by Alyssa Sheinmel

Moira’s parents are sending her to a reclusive? all-girls boarding school in the middle-of-nowhere-Maine. Regardless of what they say, she knows this is a punishment for all the trouble she’s caused them since the death of her best friend, Nathan. At The Castle School, Moira and 11 other girls are isolated from the rest of the world, and expected to talk everything out with Dr. Prince, the strange headmaster. Moira isn’t interested in making new friends. At night, she hears strange music from the woods, and then she discovers the lock on her window is broken. She and her roommate, Eleanor sneak out and find out they aren’t that isolated after all. There is a second, very different Castle School, only it’s filled with boys. Moira starts to suspect the doctors running the schools are hiding something, like a secret experiment on troubled teens. Through it all, Moira learns she can’t run from her grief, and discovers the real reason why her parents sent her away.

From first glance, I was expecting a dark mystery or thriller novel, but this book really focuses more on themes of recovery. Because I went in with the wrong idea, it did take me a while to get into the story and understand where it was going. I really enjoyed how many representations of different mental illnesses and other struggles so many people, especially teen girls, deal with were present in this story. I really enjoyed that we got a chapter from each of the girls, explaining their backgrounds and inner motivations. It was very insightful to think about what others go through. Moira’s experience with grief and blame was very authentic and I loved reading how she progressed overtime. I can’t speak for some of the issues discussed since I have never personally experienced them, but what I am familiar with felt accurately represented and important. This book wasn’t what I was expecting, but I still really enjoyed it, especially the dark academia vibes from the setting and the mental health discussions. Please check out the Content Warnings before you read this, as it is a very intense and heavy story sometimes!

Rating: 3.8/5

I’ve never read a YA book that did such an amazing job navigating the wild ride that is mental illness. The author did an amazing job with the story and was knowledgeable about different types of mental illness. The characters were very likable and the conversations that Moira had with Dr Prince near the end made me feel at peace. Will be reading everything this author puts out from now on. Thank you for the advanced copy.

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. There’s something strange going on at the school and secrets come out. This is a good read! Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebook, and the author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

It was such an enjoyable interesting book; it wasn't a thriller nor was it truly Women's Fiction or YA... it's in its own genre. The book was truly about Moira coming to terms with her friend's death as well as the story of other young girls who had similar problems, being sent away to deal.

It was an excellent book, with excellent writing. Even though the subject matter was touchy, it was an easy book to get lost in. I really loved it and highly recommend!