Madam is a slow burn gothic mystery. The eerie atmosphere and narration add to the constant unease and tension. What is really going on at Caldonbrae Hall? Things are not always as they seem at this very prestigious boarding school. This story is suspenseful, unsettling and disturbing. The terrifying truth is shocking with a jaw dropping conclusion. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC.

**2.5-stars rounded up**

When 26-year old, Rose Christie, gets hired on as a Classics teacher for the illustrious, Caldonbrae Hall, she's understandably nervous about the placement. Caldonbrae, a traditional boarding school for girls, is a far cry from the public schools she has taught in previously and from the start, Rose feels out of place.

Her trepidation doesn't improve as classes begin. The young ladies treat her with contempt and an overall lack of respect. She is astounded that such well groomed girls would think that it is okay to treat one of their teachers in such a way. But it isn't even just the girls. Other teachers and staff barely give her the time of day. She's like an annoying gnat they all seem to want to swat away.

The longer Rose is there, the more confounding the whole experience seems to be. As Rose slowly, and I do mean slowly, begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the shocking truth of Calonbrae Hall is revealed.

Y'all, the premise of this book had such promise. I wanted to love it. I expected to love it. Unfortunately for me, it fell a little flat. The atmosphere was my favorite aspect. It did feel gothic, like the school was trapped in time.
Set on the cliffs of Scotland, it felt cold and remote. While Rose was there, it felt like she was very far removed from the rest of the world; from anyone who could help her.

I was intensely interested in the beginning, for probably the first 20%, and I felt the last 15% was engaging as well. However everything in between was like watching paint dry. There were so many details. I just kept waiting and waiting for something to happen and it was like, the payoff never came.

I liked the ideas behind where the author was going, but I just think the execution was a miss for me. I feel like it could have been edited down. Perhaps if it were more concise, it would have been more impactful. In other words, in this case, it's not the content, but how that content was presented that was the issue for me.

Additionally, I do think it is important to note that I listened to the audiobook. I think the narrator did a good job keeping me in it even in the slower sections. Frankly, if I had read a hard copy, I may have been even more displeased with it.

With this being said, just because it didn't necessarily work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, absolutely give it a shot!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. I do appreciate it very much!

I had lowered by expectations going into this book because some people did not enjoy it. I loved the atmosphere of the setting and the creepy vibes of the elitist boarding school. This is a story centered around a young teacher named Rose who was invited to become a Classics teacher at Caldonbrae, an elite boarding school in Scotland. From the start, she is not sure why she was singled out for the job but ultimately decides it would be a great opportunity for her teaching career.
Rose moves to Scotland from England and has an apartment on the campus and does some duties monitoring one of the dorms. Creepy things start to happen early in the story, with the prior Classics teacher’s departure and mystery surrounding this. In addition, the girls at the boarding school, who are mostly from wealthier and prestigious families in the UK, are leveled with the upper girls seemingly unconcerned with taking their A levels or attending university. They also have done very little earlier work in Latin or Classics reading. Rose has a rough time and then is accused of touching a student that she doesn’t really know and an investigation into this ensues.
The story develops into a dramatic ending, although I do see why people disliked the ending. It seems a bit of a let down after the whole story leading up to it. It resolves the story but seems simplistic compared to the remainder of the story.
I listened and read the book. The narrator, Nathalie Buscombe, does a great job creating the atmosphere and the nuances of each character. I would definitely recommend this narrator and enjoyed the book.
#Madam #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio

I love books set at boarding schools, and this one did not disappoint! It had a wonderfully creepy atmosphere & and the author wrote an equally twisty tale to go along with it. This story of Rose, a teacher who believed that taking this job would set her on a path to a great career but found something quite different waiting for her, was just great! I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

I listened to 63% of the audiobook version before it was archived and disappeared from my NetGalley app. What a disappointment! I just peeked at the Amazon reviews and several of the first ten gave negative reviews. I don’t know if these were a failure of imagination or expectation on the part of the reviewers, but the descriptions of these reviews didn’t align with the story I was listening to. I found it an excellent and suspenseful listen and will purchase the book (or audiobook) to find out how the story plays out,

Twenty-six year-old Rose is recruited and hired head of the Classics department at an elitist boarding school set on the coast of Scotland. She’s arrives enthusiast to begin her new post and eager to make a good impression. However, from the beginning absolutely nothing syncs up. Rose isn’t so much naive, as one reviewer suggested, but finds herself in an environment that is so out of the norm, Rose has no point of reference for what she’s dealing with. Clearly the 150 year old school hasn’t entered the twentieth century, much less the twenty-first, but the scope of the school’s ancient “traditions” aren’t revealed until about half way through the book. As I listened I continued to wonder about the events featured in the prologue and where they would fit in. I guess I’ll find out. Eventually #NetGalley

I listened to Madam on my daily walk; It gripped me right from the beginning, and i couldn't wait to continue the story each day.
the narrator was very good.
the setting was so creepy.
the characters made you either want to slap them, or help them.
i would recommend this to my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this copy of Madam by Phoebe Wynne, narrated by Nathalie Buscombe.

Madam is the story of Rose, a teacher who is recruited to teach at an exclusive and remote boarding school for girls. Rose thinks that accepting. a teaching position at one of the most exclusive schools in Europe will put her on the right track for future employment and secure a financial future for herself and her sick mother. Little does Rose know that her new job comes with secrets and hidden expectations, all of which force her to confront who she really is at her core and decide what is really important to her.

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the unabridged version of Madam, narrated by Nathalie Buscombe. It was a really long listen but I loved every minute of it. Buscombe's ability to give the different characters their own intonations and accents was enough to allow me to lose myself in the story. Wynne's writing style was perfect for the story, dark and just dramatic enough to be engaging without being over the top. I loved Madam so completely that I found myself sad when it was over, even after close to 14 hours of listening time. If that's not a ringing endorsement I don't know what it.

Reviewing
Madam
Phobe Wynne

Welcome to the twisted and mysterious world of Caldonbrea Hall, a boarding school for daughters of the elite who are guaranteed to leave its hallowed halls “resilient and ready to serve society”

In a school full of secrets, the characters must play their cards close to the chest making it difficult to connect with or uncover who they really are. This sense of secrecy creates a feeling of foreboding and suspense. However, the pace lagged at times making readers want to skip ahead just to uncover the next “clue.”

It was clear early on that things are amiss at Caldonbrea. While tidbits of truth are dropped along the way, readers are sure to discover its dark secrets long before protagonist Rose finally clues in. Once the shoe finally drops, readers slide down a slippery slope of child grooming, the world of consent, arranged marriages, and societal pressures.

It’s a bizarre and uncomfortable journey with awkward timing to match its awkward morals and values. While readers may find it a bit repetitive, their desire to see how it all plays out will keep them holding on.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars for this mysterious novel which takes an ambiguous look at love and marriage.

This was hard to get into. The description of the book enticed me but the story just didn't work for me. The setting was well done and had a creepy feel to it. Heavy on the Greek classics. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

This book and audio has it all: setting, gothic vibes and mystery. Eerie boarding school and mysterious happenings had me hooked. A slow but enchanting burn. Highly recommend and looking forward to reading more Phoebe Wynne in the future.

Audiobook provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this 2.5 stars - you win some, you lose some. I can see how some readers will fully enjoy this book, unfortunately, I was not one of them.

While not a complete list, if a novel ticks off more than one of the following things, I will want to read it:
1. Remote boarding schools/houses that the locals swear something odd/weird/not right is going on up there
2. Set in Scotland
3. The young naïve human as a protagonist who has to face the evils/horrors/wrongness of said remote location
4. Written in the Gothic Novel style

Even though the description of MADAM is right up my alley, it failed in execution for me. It took until 50% of the way through this overly long novel before THE BIG SECRET was started to actually be spoken of on the pages (though most readers would have figured out most of it ages ago). I adore Gothic Novels... I enjoy a plot with a slow burn, but the pace of this book was agonizingly slow.

I wished Caldonbrae Hall (the building itself) was a bigger character than Wynne allowed it to be. The opportunity was there with the ancient home set on high cliffs in a remote area of Scotland. Rose Christie herself is exhausting and I was annoyed with her early on (and it didn't improve as the novel progressed). In fact I was annoyed with most of the characters, which made this a frustrating read given the length and the pace of the plot. Having all adults being addressed as either Sir or Madam (no last names, literally just Sir or Madam) was annoyingly repetitive after a while.

There was something that didn't sit right with me how the narrative described the bodies of the young women along with constantly pointing out the handful of Japanese students and othering them. I get where Wynne was trying to go with it but it felt uncomfortable reading it (but not in the way that is impactful when discussing racial issues).

I felt like the shocking reveals weren't a surprise and that the climax wasn't all that climactic. Overall the pacing is inconsistent and I think it would have benefited from being a lot shorter. All the elements were there for an amazing Gothic Novel... but the pieces didn't quite together.

Nathalie Buscombe does a brilliant job with the audiobook narration though!

This review is for the narration/audiobook quality of Madam. I think that this audiobook was a high-quality production. I am a fan of the narrator's style. This particular book has a certain aura to it that exudes dark academia/gothic vibes, and I think that the narrator did a good job of keeping to that tune.

It's 1993, and Rose Christie is surprised when she's chosen to become a department head at an elite girls' boarding school in Scotland. And well she should be surprised - she's had precious little experience to recommend her to teach there, much less head the Classics department. It's too good an offer to pass up, though, so off she goes. Ultimately she finds that her qualifications had little to do with her teaching abilities, and as the feminist daughter of a feminist mother she's tragically unsuited for the uber-traditional school, which has little to do with traditional education. But by then she's trapped by those "qualifications".
Phoebe Wynn has herself taught the classics, and her knowledge shows throughout the book - in fact the stories interspersed through the narrative begin to point in a direction that becomes undeniable.
The element that drew me to the book, the Gothic element, was well-executed. But other elements were jarring - there was a disconnect between the older girls' attitudes toward their teachers and what their education was meant to prepare them for. And Rose was a frustrating character - both as a teacher and as a woman who made a lot of irrational choices based on her emotions. This led to overall mixed emotions about the book for me - the parts I like balanced out the parts I didn't, leading me to neither love it nor hate it.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Nathalie Buscombe was excellent - it definitely was one of the positives of the book for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Although this one was slow-building for me, I loved the setting and the gothic atmosphere of the school so much that I did not mind the slow pace in the beginning.

This school has a dark secret and one teacher is determined to find out what is really going on. However, as she starts asking too many questions, she begins to feel like she might be in danger.

The isolation of the school and the dark descriptions of the environment around the school add depth to this unsettling story that will get under your skin as you read. There are a few unexpected twists that make this more thrilling.

If you're a fan of dark academia or gothic lit then give this book a try.

#netgalley #madam

I really wanted this book to satisfy my dark academia dreams, but it fell a bit short. The premise had so much: female classics teacher coming into an all girls school and learning about what life the students are really being prepared for. Early on I felt that while I didn't love our main character Rose, I was perfectly fine following her. As the story went on she became an inauthentic caricature of a feminist with a savior complex. Did I want her to do something to dismantle the school structure? Yes. Was everything stacked against her compelling? Yes. But did I ever believe her motivations or mental state throughout? Not really. All but a few of the students seemed interchangeable, and while one could argue this was the point the author was trying to make, it never went all the way there. Many plot points felt predictable to me and others that were thrown in for shock factor did nothing for my reading experience. Overall it was extremely readable despite inconsistent pacing, and the bits that talked about women and myth was a nice reprieve.

I selected this audiobook solely on the perfectly creepy cover.

And it was creepy. Rose starts teaching at a girl's boarding school, and it doesn't take too long for her to figure out that something is a little off. The girls have odd speech patterns and behaviors, the staff are not forthcoming about what is happening behind closed doors, and administrators know a little bit too much about Rose and her ailing mother.

There were times when the book felt like it was dragging, and other times when it rushed (like the ending.) Overall, it was a good story that kept me interested; worthy of 4 stars.

The narrators were also pleasing.

Let me start off by saying thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this early.
I wish that I could say that I enjoyed this more. I loved the setting and the atmosphere, the writing itself was fine, but there were several other things that just did not work as well for me.
I had a hard time with Rose’s character. Without giving too much about the plot, as Rose began to unravel things about the school she was working at, she would alternately be completely irrationally upset, or she would be very calm and almost passive. There was no in between. She had almost no sense of self preservation at times as well which was frustrating.
I think it also suffered from a little bit of a pacing issue and it felt like it was a little too long.
The best parts were the lesson about the Greek and Roman women. I thought that was a great addition to the story.
Overall, the atmosphere was nice and dark, but components of the story didn’t come together for me. I think if you like Dark Academia then this would be a book to give a chance to. I also think that the writer is talented and I would read another book of hers.

I was eager to read this gloomy novel about a new boarding school instructor whom the girls call "Madam." But I'm afraid this story--and the narration--just didn't hold my interest. It felt much too slow. Dare I say a touch too boring? There was a lot of time spent talking about literature and not enough drama and intrigue. And it didn't really seem believable. Sorry to be a downer!

Nonetheless, I'm grateful to Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook via the NetGalley app.

1992 Rose Christie is employed at Calonbrae Hall, a boarding school in Scotland for girls of wealthy and influential families. She soon discovers the school isn't what she thought it was.
A riveting, modern gothic tale! It wasnt bad but it wasn't great either!
Still worth the read to me!

When Rose is offered a coveted position at an elite girls school in Scotland, she can’t believe her good fortune. Soon after she arrives, she starts to question things, why aren’t the girls interested in learning? What happened to their old teacher? Why is a troubled student out to get her? Slowly things start to come to light and Rose vows to save her students even when everything goes up in flames! Being a fan of narrators with accents, I have to say the voice fit this book very well.