The Castle School(for Troubled Girls) follows Moira, a girl who is sent to a boarding school/recovery center after the death of her best friend.
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This book wasn’t anything like I expected, but not necessarily in a bad way. I thought it would be a high action thriller, but it was quieter and more contemplative. It discussed more about mental illness and some trauma in teenagers, and how they are not only their struggles. I cannot speak to all of them being good representation, but some of them definitely resonated. I think it is written in a way to see yourself in these struggling girls who are able to recover. They are a sum of all there parts and still have other personality traits.
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I loved the female friendships and the bond that they formed, although the romance was not my favorite and felt unnecessary.
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Overall, I would recommend this to those looking for a slower, more thoughtful read.
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MAJOR tws- self harm, eating disorders, grief, addiction, alcoholism, cancer, drug abuse, death, blood, suicidal thoughts

I thought this book was really unique read. I think this book reminds me so much of a book like recovery road or the older t.v show higher ground. I LIKED how this book tackled so many issues that young people face today like drugs, alcohol cutting but also a massive focus on grief and PTSD. This book also focused on the lost of friendship and that really struck. me. I really did like the chapters the POV of the girls in this story. The mystery did not wow me, but I really enjoyed the read!

The Castle School was a phenomenal read. I got Truly Devious vibes the whole way through and this was hard to put down. Definitely one of my favorite titles I’ve received on here! I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Only "troubled" girls are sent to The Castle School, so why is Moira being sent there? Moira isn't a troubled kid, right? Sure, she got a tattoo, skipped a lot of school, and sometimes forgets to eat, but that doesn't make her a troubled kid. Plus she's still dealing with the death of her best friend so who can really blame her? Apparently, her parents can. Upon arrival at The Castle School, it's clear that things really aren't right here. Why are there only 12 girls, why don't they have real classes, and why is there another castle not far away? Upon discovering a second castle, seemingly the exact opposite of the first castle, the story really develops. As we learn more about Moira, the Castle school really develops and takes some surprising twists. Overall, a positive portrayal of mental health diagnoses, trauma, and processing it all through therapy.

4/5 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THE CASTLE SCHOOL (FOR TROUBLED GIRLS) is a story of healing and friendship. Moira has been cast adrift since the death of her BFF, Nathan. She feels so much guilt about a promise she broke and she misses him terribly. After she gets a tattoo, which is forbidden because of her Jewish faith, her parents tell her that they are sending her to The Castle School, which seems like a new age reform school.

Moira arrives feeling rejected and highly skeptical of the school and its mission. There are eleven other girls there, who are each dealing with their own issues. They have group therapy in the morning, followed by a loose class, and then personal therapy in the afternoon. When Moira finds the lock on the window broken, she sneaks out and finds another Castle School that seems completely different, beginning with the students being boys.

As Moira spends time with the girls at the school, she begins to learn more about herself, her emotions, and how to move forward. The book is told mostly from Moira's perspective over time, with interludes from each of the girls in the school about the way that they developed the symptom that led them to The Castle School. I found the writing to be compelling, and although it seemed like a mystery/thriller, this ended up being more of a contemporary fiction about grief and healing.

The story took a few twists I was not expecting, but I found it all to come together fairly well. I appreciated seeing Moira's interactions with the others and getting insights into her therapy, as well as glimpses into her past and how these reflections change over time. The pacing seemed to change between the beginning, middle, and end, and the tone similarly changed. While it was not what I expected, I did appreciate the story. I really found the interludes of each of the girls to be particularly compelling, almost as short stories that pulled the reader in and which could have stood alone.

Overall, I found it to be a compelling YA contemporary. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Jumping into this book, I wasn't sure what I would feel. I knew this story was about a girl who lost her best friend. I knew that this girl was so devastated that her parents couldn't feel like they could give her what she needed to heal. But as I read more, I realized that was only part of this story.

One thing I loved about this book was that it included scenes from the other girl's POVs. We get a view at teenage alcoholism and drug abuse, self harm, depression, anorexia, trichotillomania (pulling your hair out), selective mutism, grief, and more. In this home of twelve girls, even though Moira is our main point of view, we get to see the other girls stories and understand why there were at The Castle School as well.

Following along with Moira, her journey with grief gave me a lot of insight on my own journey with grief. Unfortunately, everyone will lose someone in their life. Someone they love will die and while some deaths are easier to accept, others will devastate us. I have felt that devastation before. That feeling that the death wasn't fair and somehow, someway, if something was different, maybe this wouldn't have happened. But it did. Watching Moira learn about her grief and come to accept that she not only wasn't at fault, but that she can enjoy life after losing her best friend, made me really emotional. I was tearing up a lot at the end.

I loved the message of this book and while it was interesting to see the dichotomy of the two schools, I was more invested in the girl's journey of healing. I was so happy for Moira at the end, after she felt like she had some closure, and while I was sad for another character (no spoilers), I felt like the book ended on a sounding note. This is what it is.

This book was not what I was expecting at all. I assumed based on the blurb that this was a thriller/mystery. But The Castle School (for troubled girls) was much more than that. I only put this here so people can know what they’re reading. I would hate to see bad reviews because someone was expecting a thriller.

Moira Dreyfus has been acting out since the death of her best friend. Her parents decide to send her to a boarding school where she can get therapy and start to heal.

This book was deep. I really enjoy books that touch on mental health, the author did a great job of showing different mental health issues. It’s so important for YA readers to read books like this one.
I sped through this one, I found myself so invested in all the girls from the school.

This is a story about grief, loss, friendship, and more. If you’re searching for a book with lots of mental illness rep, this is definitely the book for you.

Super grateful to Sourcebookss Fire and Netgalley for the eARC of this book.

I assumed this book would just be a mystery about a boarding school, but it ended up being so much more than that. The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) dealt with mental illness, grief, and more in an honestly beautiful and true way. The main character, Moira, was extremely relatable, and even though this book is about grief, by the end, Moria learns not to let her grief define her as a person. The author did a great job exploring what it is like to have to move forward and survive after a loved one dies. This is truly a really good book, and I would definitely recommend The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) to anyone facing grief themselves and anyone who is interested in character growth and acceptance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*I'd like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Okay, so let me preface this review by saying: This book is not what I expected it to be. I looked at the cover, saw the blood-splotch-like design and crooked lettering and thought, Ooh, a mystery! Can't wait to dive into this one!

Spoiler warning, people: This book isn't much of a mystery. It's maybe 11% mystery. I read through the entire book expecting some grand reveal, an evil plot thwarted, the mad scientists caught in the act of conducting crazy experiments, something. ​But we didn't get that. There wasn't really much of a mystery, and most of the "suspicious" things were just figments of Moira's imagination due to her grief. There were also some mysteries related to Moira's past experiences and choices, but none of them were particularly shocking.

So I'll admit that I was a little disappointed that there wasn't much mystery in this book since that's what I was expecting. And okay, okay, I probably shouldn't have gone ahead and assumed it was a mystery just based on the cover (don't judge a book by its cover, I know), but I mean, ​look at the cover: It's such a mystery novel cover! It just screams ​MYSTERY!!!

But I digress. What I'm trying to say, in an extremely long-winded manner, is that my expectations for this book didn't match the actual content of the book.

HOWEVER. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy this book. I think that I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't had such skewed expectations, but I still thought it was a great book.

So, having now ranted for several hundred words about this book's cover, let's talk about the content of this book (which is what truly matters!).

This book surprised me by how much it centered around mental health and mental illnesses. I hadn't realized that this was the main subject of this novel when I picked it up, but I found that I really enjoyed it. After losing her best friend to cancer, protagonist Moira struggles with grief, so much so that her parents decide to send her away to The Castle School, which is supposed to help girls who deal with mental health issues. One thing that I found very interesting in this book were Moira's sessions with Dr. Prince, the school's peculiar but kind headmaster. Their discussions were very engaging and made me think about and reconsider some of my own behaviors and thoughts. I also felt that these sessions were portrayed realistically and honestly.

While this book focused on Moira and her struggle with grief, it also touched on the experiences and mental illnesses of the other girls whom Moira meets and lives with at The Castle School. Between every few chapters from Moira's perspective, there would be a chapter from the third-person perspective of one of the other girls. These chapters were actually some of my favorites because they allowed a brief look into the other girls' lives and their experiences with their mental illnesses. The author discussed mental illnesses in an honest manner without turning any of the characters into stereotypes. I appreciated how each character had their own unique story for how her mental illness developed and what experiences she endured because of it.

​Also, I'd lastly like to note that I found the ending immensely satisfying. That heart-to-heart between Moira and her mom was so touching, it almost brought me to tears (and that's saying something because it takes a lot for a book to make me cry). It was inspiring to to see Moira's character grow and change throughout the book; she had a beautiful character arc. I also liked how there was just a little bit of romance in this book, but nothing distracting or overpowering, just enough to be sweet. I enjoyed reading about the friendships in this book, too; it was heartwarming to see Moira and the other girls grow close and form friendships.

Even though this book wasn't what I expected it to be, I still enjoyed it a lot! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting contemporary that centers around mental health with a teeny tiny touch of mystery (like that little glob of wasabi on the edge of an hors d'oeuvre platter). I gave this book 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. Thank you for reading my review of The Castle School (For Troubled Girls)!

The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) by Alyssa Sheinmel is an unexpected story, something unique and innovative on the YA contemporary scene. When main character Moira is sent away to an all-girls boarding school, she must navigate grief, loss, and friendship in unusual circumstances.

The Castle School seems like an experiment. Home to twelve girls with a range of mental illnesses, the school offers light therapy, opportunities for friendships, and seclusion from the rest of the world. This unique setting is unlike the inpatient facilities of other books; it is something new and unpredictable. Author Alyssa Sheinmel’s worldbuilding plays an important role in establishing the tone for Moira’s story.

As Moira navigates grief and guilt in the wake of losing her best friend, she is forced to think about her other relationships and her responses to all the events in her life. Likewise, the other girls at the Castle School are dealing with personal struggles, ranging from eating disorders to depression, trichotillomania, self-harm, ADHD, alcoholism, drug addiction, and more. The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) represents a diverse range of mental illnesses.

The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) is a story about grief, loss, friendship, and more. If you’re searching for a book with lots of mental illness rep, you might like this story.

*PLEASE LOOK UP TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK*

This book was not what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a campy boarding school romance, but what I got was a beautifully written description of what it is like to grieve. Sheinmel included a lot of different issues in this book, and it was hard to read about some of them, especially in the way that she wrote about them so openly. This book made me uncomfortable at some points, but I think that's a good thing, because there are not a lot of books that talk about the issues like she does. Sometimes we like to pretend that the issues these girls are facing are not as drastic as they seem because it is hard to imagine someone going through something like that, but since Sheinmel writes about them in a way that makes it impossible to ignore them, it allows the reader to understand that there is more to these issues than we could ever imagine. I loved how Sheinmel described Moria's journey with her grief, and how she opened up her heart to those around her without even realizing it.

You know how sometimes books start out seemingly innocent enough but then it turns out there’s a dark plot that the main character uncovers? This book has the opposite; the main character starts off untrusting and slightly paranoid, and over the course of the book, she heals, grows, and realizes the truth of the “school” is exactly as it seems, and nobody’s motives were what she assumed. That may sound boring, but it was refreshing, and really beautiful.

My main complaint: The main character is grieving throughout the story and at the beginning she hears her dead friend’s voice (pretty frequently) narrating her life. I understand why this was done, and at the risk of sounding unsympathetic, for me it was just too much. I became frustrated with her grief because I didn’t care enough to feel for her yet, and the interruptions from Nathan were just that...disruptive and didn’t seem to add anything. I wouldn’t have gotten rid of them entirely, just toned it down a bit.

Overall, I loved the main character’s journey, and thought her growth was portrayed in a lovely manner. I even cried (twice!!) so I eventually did become emotionally tied to Moira, it just took some time because it takes time for her to let down her walls, even to us, the reader (which I liked). This book was different than I’d anticipated based on the description, but I was happily surprised by the depth of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. 4/5 stars.

This book wasn't at all what I was anticipating. I was predicting it would be a dark academia novel, where sinister things happen to the girls at this school in the middle of nowhere. It took some unexpected turns, and I love how the author gives the girls' backstories throughout the novel. Even though it was different than anticipated, I really loved the story and how the characters changed over time, especially Moira.

This is a fun mystery thriller set in a boarding school. I thought Alyssa did a good job addressing mental illness relating to the loss of someone close to you from a teenager's perspective.

I don't know what I expected from this book but it wasn't this. However, that's not a bad thing. I really liked Moira and I found a lot of the book to be suspenseful but it ended so beautifully and the theme of "everything is not what it seems" was really great. I really liked the short chapters and Alyssa Sheinmel's writing. Definitely well done.

I really enjoyed this read! The book is about a remote school located in the Maine woods that specializes in creating a beneficial environment for girls that struggle. These struggles include grief, self-harm, OCD, trichotillomania, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, mutism, anorexia, constantly trying to run away and having trouble with authority/being told what to do. Parents send their children off to the school in the hope that it will help them.

The book was well written and I think it did a great job of realistically representing the aforementioned struggles. However, I cannot really judge this fairly because I've never been through these struggles myself. Further, I especially liked Moira's character development. She struggles with grief after losing her best friend to cancer. Also, I really liked the little bit of mystery that was added to the story, even though I think I did expect more. The synopsis made it sound like the mystery was going to play a bigger part in the story than it actually did, but this was still a solid read that I would recommend checking out!

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS for this eARC of the book! I enjoyed it immensely.
I was promised a “dark, psychological” contemporary and did not receive it. It was misleading. However, I was surprised with the turn the book took and found myself immensely enjoying it.
Moira a young girl is sent to the Castle School after the death of her best friend, due to her rebellious behavior. The Castle School is out in the middle of nowhere and is as mysterious as it sounds. However, the school is very different from others and each girl has a tale of their own to tell.
While the book was slightly suspenseful, the conversations that took place had more meaning to them than we realize at the beginning. After reading the book, I realized that Doctor Prince, the school therapist, and principal had created a safe space for all of the 12 females in there. Each of their tales, just as sad as the last, all battling with grief.
Moira’s thoughts and emotions were well reflected upon as well as all the other characters. Their battle with all different sorts of issues and emotions was well written and very realistic. While the school could not help all of them overcome their problems, their development and bonding were clearly shown.
From the beginning to the end, the book held my attention and I absolutely enjoyed it. It wrecked my heart slightly, and even though it was not what I was expecting it was one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Title: The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)
Author: Alyssa Sheinmel
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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 really enjoyed this novel! I like Moira a lot, and I was very firmly in her head for the entire novel, which made this an interesting experience. Her first impressions of the Castle School, Dr. Prince, her fellow students…they were so well-done that I felt them, too. This didn’t turn out like I expected at all—in a very good way. Very strong writing and believable characters made this an engrossing read.

Alyssa Sheinmel is a bestselling author. The Castle School (for Troubled Girls) is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

blog link live 3/4.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC.

So I went into this thinking it was more of a suspenseful YA thriller-ish type. No, not at all. There were a couple suspenseful moments but not really.

This book is more about a girl’s journey through grief and accepting that things that are, are and the friends she’s made to help her see that.

I still really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it because it’s super relatable. I loved Moira’s character; she was dealing with a lot and her portrayal was so realistic. Alyssa did a great job in handling the depths of grief and mental illness.

I also enjoyed her writing style and I learned little tidbits of random trivia. I really liked that she included the backstory of each girl at the castle. I think that was my favorite part. I also liked how there wasn’t the typical, cliche “mean girl.” It was more of a sisterhood and I liked seeing the girls interact and develop bonds.

Another character I liked was Dr. Prince.

Overall, I’m glad I read this.

Posted on my Goodreads. :)

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this to review! I’ve reviewed some of Alyssa B. Sheinmel’s books on here (A Danger to Herself and Others and What Kind of Girl) so I was very excited to pick this one up! 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!