This book was horrible. I got to over 75% through and finally allowed myself to ‘do not finish’. The concept was great! But holy crap it dragged on sooo long. After about 1/4 way in I had to check to make sure this wasn’t a middle grade book; the writing was so unsophisticated.

This books has a great atmosphere and very interesting premise, but it disappointed me because it was too predictable and unrealistic. I was waiting for a big reveal, but I had predicted them all.

I thought this was a well written book. I did see the twist at the end coming but I still enjoyed the book. Though I will warn you, you're going to be screaming at the main character through the whole book for being such a poor decision maker.

Thanks #netgalley for the chance to read #hawthorne school".

The Hawthorne School by Sylvie Perry is deemed as a twisty psychological suspense novel, and this is not entirely wrong. The setting of The Hawthorne School is all very mysterious and somewhat creepy, and there were definitely times of suspense, but this is a SLOW burn folks. I have come to appreciate slower burns, but there is a certain point when things get a little too slow for me, and unfortunately, that is what happened here. The school gave me serious cult vibes basically immediately, and I probably spent 3/4 of the book wishing I could shake some sense into Claudia. This story really brings to mind that old adage of if it seems too good to be true it probably is, and I was waiting with bated breath to see how things would end for Claudia and her son Henry.

If you are an audiobook fan, I do recommend reading it this way. The narrator is Nan McNamara, and I really had no issues with her narration, plus her voice seemed very fitting as Claudia's. There are a few larger twists that come to light towards the end of the book and while I saw some of it coming, The Hawthorne School also managed to surprise me as well! I read that Sylvie Perry is a pseudonym and she writes another genre under a completely different pseudonym. This did come as a bit of a surprise to me since I think it feels very much like a debut (which it is in the psychological suspense genre for her), but that certainly wouldn't stop me from reading anything else published under the Perry name in the future. If you are a fan of cultish books and don't mind a very slow burn, I would still recommend checking out this book.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Holy shit. This book was so insane and confusing. During the beginning I did not feel very much interested, but then the plot got weirder and weirder. And I just couldn’t stop reading and wanted to know what the hell was happening at the school. This is perfect for lovers of cult books or movies

With thanks to Sylvie Perry and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced Readers copy of this title.

3*

Set in the creepy gothic Hawthorne School, this dark academia was right up my street. The atmosphere is wonderfully atmospheric, and the twists and turns keep you reading and keeps the household chores ignored.

HOWEVER

The main character... I have serious issues with how stupid she came across. As a reader you can figure out what's happening pretty early on, but Claudia remains completely oblivious the whole time. I think there are birds with their heads in literal sand that would have twigged on quicker. This alone docked a whole star off my review, by the end I was so frustrated I was shouting at a book.

This was an interesting story due to the creepiness and spooky atmospheric writing. I did not care for Claudia and her naivety however. I think her naivety took away from the story.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this one. Did it blow me away? No, but it was a solid read. The atmospheric, creepy, gothic school setting was definitely the star of this book. I would have loved the author to have fleshed out more of the inner workings of the school. What went on when Claudia wasn't around. The history of the school, etc. As for Claudia, a lot of reviewers seem to have had an issue with how clueless she was. And yes, she wasn't the brightest bulb. However, I cut her some slack since often there were people/things hindering her from seeing clearly. Last, while I enjoyed the ending, I also felt like it was a bit rushed and out of the blue. So somewhat of a mixed bag, but overall I would give it a thumbs up!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Claudia Morgan is overwhelmed. She's a single parent trying the best that she can, but her four-year-old son, Henry, is a handful--for her and for his preschool. When Claudia hears about a school with an atypical teaching style near her Chicagoland home, she has to visit. The Hawthorne School is beautiful and has everything she dreams of for Henry: time to play outside, music, and art. The head of the school, Zelma, will even let Claudia volunteer to cover the cost of tuition.

The overall concept of the story was pretty interesting. The author succeeded in upholding the mystery and spooky atmosphere surrounding the Hawthorne School. However the execution was poorly done, especially the pacing. The book drags on for so long until way past the middle point where all the info is revealed in one go during one single conversation. I was very boring and predictable. There was no element of surprise. Sadly I didn’t enjoy my reading of this book.

Quando Claúdia decide mudar o seu pequeno filho Henry de escola, ela vai encontrar a escola dos sonhos Hawthorne parece ser o local perfeito para o Henry, lá ele vai crescer e desenvolver suas habilidades, sem a pressão do ensino regular,
Tudo foi perfeito demais , desde o começo, o comportamento do Henry começou a melhorar, ele estava amando aquela escola, mas aos poucos Claúdia começa a perceber que ele só fica calmo e feliz dentro do Campus, fora ele se torna uma criança completamente diferente.
Pensando no bem estar do seu filho ela decide se mudar pra lá, deixa seu emprego, casa, carro, e entrega todas as suas economias pra escola, afinal lá eles vão ter tudo o que precisam.
Mas aos poucos ela vai perceber que algo não está certo, ela tem apagões não lembra das conversas, e o Henry está cada vez mais distante dela.
Uma mãe quando percebe que o seu filho está em perigo é capaz de qualquer coisa, e dia após dia ela vai tentar descobrir o que realmente acontece naquela escola, e as revelações apesar de previsíveis são simplesmente incríveis, e apesar de a Claúdia ter me deixando com raiva em 100% do livro, esse livro foi incrível, a escrita da autora é simplesmente viciante, e você não consegue deixar ele de lado.

The plot of The Hawthorne School builds slowly throughout, and contained several creepy twists. The story was engaging but also predictable. It was an even read for me; if you like dark academia and gothic atmospheres, this may be the book for you! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review.
3.5 stars

A wonderful and twisted psychological thriller about a single mother who will do anything for her son. This book keeps you turning the pages and on the end of your seat the whole time.

Really wanted to love this one, as its intriguing concept and gothic tone sounded right up my alley. But ultimately, it did not thrill me as I had hoped. I found the author’s tone to be a little more flowery and descriptive than I prefer my thrillers (even Gothic ones). I also think the school setting and the author’s tone gave this book more of a Young Adult feel than I was expecting. Though the author is more than competent, her style was not for me and I found that the book took a bit too long to get to the eventual conclusion.

Though the book wasn’t for me I appreciate the opportunity to read the ARC from Crooked Lane Books and provide an honest review.

I knew from the first chapter that this would be a tough one to get through. I didn’t love the overly simplistic writing style and the dialogue felt awkward and stilted. There’s a lot of exposition that occurs but in a very obvious and clunky way which pulls you out of the story.
I wouldn’t call this a thriller because it’s fairly slow-moving. I figured out what was going on very early and spent the rest of the book feeling frustrated.
The main character is so incredibly naïve I couldn’t handle it. The intentions of EVERYONE involved with the school are painfully obvious from the start but apparently not to Claudia.
The entire plot is pretty unbelievable which is unfortunate because the premise of a creepy, cult-like school obsessed with children is such a good one.
I did manage to finish because I was curious to find out how it would all end but I unfortunately won’t be recommending this one to others.

This was an interesting read, I really enjoyed the atmosphere, especially the gothic mansion vibes but the plot fell flat for me. The protagonist Claudia (really like the name) was a bit too passive/not observant enough. I was able to guess/predict a lot of the things happening where the protagonist didn't.

overall not what I expected from the book/cover.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Hawthorn School is a steady, creepy thriller that was chilling and had little twists throughout.
Claudia is a young single mum and struggling with her son, Henrys, behaviour. When her sons preschool teacher has words with her about his behaviour, she turns to her newly acquainted friend Maggie for support. Maggie suggests Claudia checks out The Hawthorn School, where her own daughter attends school. Claudia goes for a visit and falls in love with the school, the headteacher, Zelda, and the whole idea of the school. She readily signs Henry up to attend, and upon his first visit, she sees a change in his behaviour. She has finally found a school that gets him and where he seems to fit in and flourish. But Claudia is missing all the signs in her desperation for Henry to be settled and more manageable.
This was a great thriller, and although Claudia is nieve, I can completely understand how and why she misses so many of the signs that this school is a Cult. She just wants a happy, contented child and to feel like she's doing a decent job as a single parent. And after the awful conversation with him preschool teacher, it's no wonder she feels so down on herself. You can see how the Hawthorn School can charm people into being compliant and draw them in. I enjoyed this book and found it a great mix of creepy and chilling.

This was a nightmare.

And not like, in the good way that a suspenseful mystery gothic tale should be. Just a nightmare in general. If I could have found a spoiler review once I'd hit the 40% mark, I would have DNF'd. But some part of me just HAD to know what was happening and so I kept reading.

This MC was a fucking joke. A moron. I cannot with her. There is no way anyone is both this smart and this stupid at the same time. There were some things that she was so enlightened on and other things she had the IQ of a cardboard box ran through a dishwasher.

The rest of the characters? I didn't like any of them. Not her kid, not anyone at the school, the other parents. Everyone was terrible. Not like, terrible people (though some were that too) but just horribly written. At one point I honestly thought this book was satire. It wasn't. Who knew.

It was an experience I'd like to never experience again. Thanks.

This book has potential but it was to slow for me. I was hoping for some creepiness but I didn't get those feels. At times it became repetitive. Overall, I liked the plot just wished more had happened.

As a parent and a teacher myself, I was really intrigued about the premise of this book. The setting gave a perfect eerie, gothic vibe that made me feel like I was right there with Claudia. On the other hand, this story was predictable and fell flat for me. Granted, I read a lot of gothic mystery novels, so story-lines start to become a bit repetitive for me. The ending twist was different than most, but was a tad dark if that's not something you're into. I can definitely find myself reading this again in the fall time this year!