A wealthy dysfunctional family, a missing mother, a dying sister, a tragic and mysterious past in a beautiful Scottish setting- what's not to like? A well written, fast paced mystery full of suspense that kept me reading, and guessing, to the end. All in all an interesting and recommendable read.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance reading copy of this book.

I very much enjoyed reading this very clever story. I found it hard to put down, and I was completely drawn into the story. It isn't perfect - the wealthy family don't really ring true, the author often uses "I" where "me" would be correct, and there are a few typos - "yolk" instead of "yoke" but overall this is definitely a book I would recommend.

Megan Melvick's earliest memory is of her fourth birthday: she followed her grandfather down to the pond, only to find that he'd hanged himself. Twenty years later she's back home again and this time the occasion is no less sad. She's there to say her final farewells to her sister, Melissa, who is dying of anorexia. As she dies, Melissa whispers 'sorry' to Megan but what did she mean? There were lots of things, minor and major cruelties, for which Melissa might have been sorry - or was it even a question? Was she asking if Megan was sorry for sleeping with Melissa's husband, Jago, on their wedding day? The Melvicks might seem to have everything - Ivan Melvick was Lord Lieutenant of the County and money was never in short supply - but there did seem to be a curse. In addition to Melissa's health problems, Megan was deaf and their mother, Beth, had left suddenly three years before. Would she come back for her elder daughter's funeral?

I've followed Caro Ramsay's Anderson and Costello series for some time and I was interested to see what Ramsay would make of a stand-alone thriller. The first thing you'll realise is that you need to get the characters straight in your head when you're introduced to the Melvick family, their staff and hangers-on. I resorted to a notepad to distinguish between Heather Kincaid ('Heather the Blether'), Beth Melvick's best friend and Deborah McEwan, mother of Carla, Megan's best friend who was burned to death on the day of Melissa's wedding. Deborah has a dubious past and a poor choice in men (I think she's been through a few husbands, not all of them her own) but she's now on the Melvick staff and does seem to have Megan's interests at heart. Not many people do: it was several years before anyone noticed Megan's deafness.

The second thing you'll realise is that this book has pace and you're not going to be able to put it down until you find out what happens The story alternates between Megan and Carla who speaks from beyond the grave and she's omniscient and between the two young women the story rattles along at a fair old pace and I finished reading far more quickly than I was expecting.

Ramsay gives an interesting perspective on deafness. It doesn't seem to bother Megan too much:

Funny how those that can talk think I will be interested in hearing; it's never that fascinating, believe me.

Megan has some hearing when she wears her hearing aids: sometimes they're useful - other times she prefers to take them out. She also has a mental problem: Dissociative Identity Disorder, which plays a part in how the story resolves itself. It's a fascinating portrait of a troubled young woman whose home is not a place of safety.

On balance, I think I prefer the Anderson and Costello stories but it's marginal and certainly look forward to what Ramsay writes next. I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

4.5 stars.
I'm a big fan of this author's Anderson & Costello series of Police Procedural books so I was quite intrigued to see how she would do with a stand-alone psychological thriller. And I wasn't disappointed.
Megan returns home to say goodbye to her sister Melissa who is at death's door. She's pretty much estranged and it's been three years since she visited. She has her reasons. Just before she dies, Melissa whispers something to Megan, something she can't quite understand the reasons behind. What is she sorry for? Soon, the memories of growing up on the big Scottish estate where she is now staying start to flood back - alarmingly so - especially those of Melissa's wedding some five years since, and Megan starts to worry that her past is coming back to haunt her, especially regarding best friend Carla and what happened to her on that day. It was also soon after the wedding that their mother upped and left, there was talk of an affair but nothing solid and she has not been seen or heard of since, apart from one message soon after leaving. There's a lot more that goes on in this book but it is so convoluted and interconnected that pretty much everything else I could say might include spoilers.
Suffice to say that this book held me rapt throughout my time reading it. I was, along with Megan, pretty much confused for the majority but, instead of feeling uncomfortable, I revelled in this feeling as it brought me closer to Megan as a character in a quite claustrophobic, but satisfying, way. As others have said, it is a bit Agatha Christie in style - the big country house, one policeman investigating and a similar style of reveal - but it's not a copycat by any means. The story and characters stand up themselves very well.
It's a story about secrets and control. There are various family issues throughout, some more influential than others, some really rather shocking too. Sibling rivalry is a bit front and centre too as Melissa is the golden child to Megan's black sheep! And there's a fair slice of manipulation to be found too - all elements that, if done well, can make a book of this genre. And they are!
All in all, an interesting change for an already enjoyed author, more of the same please! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was not what I expected. The synopsis sounded like my type of book, however this didn't work for me. I can't really put my finger on it fully. Something just felt off.

For a shorter book this felt dragging for me. The pacing was way too slow causing me to struggle to really get gripped. I just felt disconnected.

I never felt on the edge of my seat. Nor did I try figure things out. I didnt care enough to even guess.

The way this is written lead me to be confused at times. This could be just me not paying enough attention but due to this whatever potential build wasn't there.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.
4 Stars!
Highly recommend.
It was hard to put this book down. It was a fast paced story full of suspense.
I was hooked from the first chapter.
This thriller was fun to read. It was short and enjoyable.
Well written, well plotted, engaging characters.

love Caro's books and this one didnt disappoint either.

It has a brilliant variety of characters and is fast paced and certainly keeps you hooked.

It's full of mystery and drama and I loved how everything got pieced together.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Cursed Girls contains all the elements of a great story; a dysfunctional aristocratic family, missing parents, a remote gothic hall, a dying sibling and tragic events that resulted in Megan's best friend dying. Told from the alternate perspectives of Megan and Carla puts an interesting slant on the book. Caro is dead and Megan is suffering cognitive distortions. This could have created two wonderful unreliable narrators, instead the confusion between what is real and what is imagined is exactly that - a confusion - rather than building any sense of tension or danger. Events that led to Carla's death and the events that have influenced Megan's behaviours are constantly alluded to, but frustratingly never fleshed out. This meant that I didn't feel invested in either character, despite the trauma that each girl endures.

Overall it's an ok read, but I never really felt as though I got my teeth into this book, or that the book, in turn, grabbed me.

My thanks go to the publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

This is a fast paced story full of suspense which had me hooked from the very beginning. There was lots of twists and turns and it definitely didn’t end how I was expecting!

This book was not as good as I thought it would be from the premise. I usually love this author but this one definitely fell short.It was very slow paced and did not grip me until over two thirds of the way through when the pace picked up a bit. Could not bond the the main character at all. Not terrible but not great.. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

For me The Cursed Girls had the potential to be a great book but I’m totally in the fence with this one. Whilst I didn’t dislike it, I didn’t particularly like it either. I’m not sure if it was the writing style or what but it just didn’t do it for me. I would rate this book 2.5 stars but have rounded up to three as I did want to finish it. Thank you to NetGalley, Canongate and the author for the chance to review.

A gripping tale, I was unable to put it down until the very last page, highly recommended. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advance copy of this book.

This is a really good tale of a privileged but dysfunctional family, living on a Scottish estate. The book focuses on women and the hardships they encountered in life. It's a psychological mystery, filled with twists, good characterisation and an interesting storyline. Told from two points of view, Megan and Carla's, both of whom I failed to like and overall, an enjoyable read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Edge of your seat kind of book. The Cursed Girls is a page turner.

Very well-crafted characters and a captivating storyline. Definitely a winner!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Now I'm normally more than a little bit biased when it comes to reviewing books by Caro Ramsay as I normally love them. I'm going to be honest, this one wasn't for me, although certain lots of readers would lap it up.
Afraid I only managed to stick with it until a quarter of the way through and gave up.
Sure you'll be back on form next time Caro.

Once I figured out this was a mystery, not necessarily a thriller, I was able to settle in and let the story unfold. It did begin slowly for me, and not until about halfway through did it pick up. Expectations are everything, right?!
This is a mystery involving a messed up wealthy family in Scotland. The protagonist, Megan, travels home where her mom disappeared years ago and her best friend was killed in a horrible manner, to hear her dying sister's last word, "Sorry." I wasn't sure if this was the mystery for a long while, and I won't spoil anything, or if the horrific death of Megan's friend Carla was and if/how they were related.
Since I relate well to a younger sister who always seemed in the spotlight, I thought it would connect better with me. The use of mental health issues brought a sense of question and tension, and a psychological aspect that I thought I would enjoy more.
This all seems very negative, but really I just had super high expectations and it didn't quite hit that mark for me. It was a good mystery story with some interesting characters, and a bit of a surprise end, though some aspects of it were anticlimactic for me.
Overall good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Black Thorn publishers for granting me this book. I have given my honest review as thanks.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Black Thorn for an advance copy of The Cursed Girls, a stand-alone psychological thriller set on a family estate on the West Coast of Scotland.

Megan Melvick returns home to the estate she fled three years earlier because her sister is dying. Megan feels like an outsider, her mother left just before she did and hasn’t been heard from again, her deafness means she doesn’t catch everything being said and there are too many secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Cursed Girls which is a mesmerising tale of secrets, lies and misinterpretations. I wasn’t sure of what I was going to get with this novel as it isn’t my usual fare, but Ms Ramsay’s name was enough to give it a try and I’m so glad I did. I was blown away by the mystery, the execution and the characters.

Where to start? The novel is told alternately from Megan and her best friend Carla’s points of view. Megan is somewhat naïve and trusting, living in a bubble and floating through life, taking what she’s told at face value. Carla, on the other hand, is tough, street smart, slightly anarchic, due to a troubled upbringing, and very funny in her acerbic, sometimes bawdy take on life and analysis of events
. Their present day is tied up in the past so they both muse over past seminal events to try and make sense of the present. I found the contrast between their two strong voices fascinating and compulsive. All, however, is not as it initially seems so there are plenty of twists and surprises for the reader.

The novel is very well paced with hints and reveals in every chapter and I found myself analysing every little snippet for a clue about what was going on. I can’t say that my analysis took me very far as there is always a new reveal to supersede any line I thought I might have. There is a denouement in the novel, but it doesn’t seem so important in comparison with all the secrets that are laid bare and the home truths that the girls have to learn. I found this really interesting as normally I’m all about the perpetrator and their just deserts. I think it’s a testament to the characters and their story that I feel like this.

The Cursed Girls is one of the best books I have read this year so I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Full of suspense
Fast paced
Very well written
Highly recommend this book

Thank you netgalley, Caro Ramsey and Black Thorn

Megan Melvick returns to her Scottish island based ancestral home to say her goodbyes to her dying sister Melissa. This is a family that has had more than it’s fair share of tragedies such as one five years ago at Melissa’s wedding in which someone dies, there have been suicides and for the last three years their mother Beth has been missing. Will the many demons that Megan is carrying be finally laid to rest?

First of all, I really enjoy seeing the dark pieces of the Melvick family jigsaw slot into place through Megan’s eyes. She is fascinating and her growing insights give us a really good picture of the events of the last twenty years or so. I like her humour especially on Heather (the Plether) who is trying to fill Beth’s obviously expensive boots/shoes and get her own quite well shod feet under the wealthy Melvick table. The characters are good although not necessarily likeable or even trustworthy and in fact it’s very hard to determine in whom to place your trust. The storytelling is full of atmosphere on this small island (I’m imagining Arran or Bute), we have an old house, family portraits with beady ancestral eyes seemingly observing the proceedings (if only they could talk!), ghostly presences, circling rooks the harbingers of doom, faery pools and creepy Tenton Woods which are as dark and forbidden as the mysterious past. There’s a building toxic atmosphere growing, an air of malevolent uncertainty. This is a family that has controlled its secrets but they can remain contained no longer. I like the way the conclusion and outcome builds and there’s a clever nod to Agatha in the Christiesque summoning to the Drawing Room by the investigating detective thus confronting the suspects just as the Queen of Crime would have done.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery which is a compelling, well written novel. This sure is one dysfunctional family!

With thanks to NetGalley and Blackthorn for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Megan Melvick returns home to her family's Scottish estate, as her sister Melissa is dying. It seems the family is cursed. Megan herself is deaf, her friend Carla died in an explosion, her mother left inexplicably and she watched her Papa hang himself from a tree. Much of the book focuses on the stories of the female characters and the difficulties they have faced in life. Who engineered Carla's death and the disappearance of Beth Maverick (Megan's mum) are the key issues and this kept me guessing until the reveal at the end.

I liked the structure of the book, with Megan and Carla 's point of view in alternating chapters.

This was a well written and engaging read and I really liked the premise.

Thanks indeed to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.