Stopped at 33%.
… The beginning was intriguing—a couple who had maybe killed someone by accident, maybe not. But this was brushed aside quickly and instead I was left reading a story about truly horrible adults who are emotionally abusive to their kids and are extremely creepy/predatory towards other people’s children. Whatever mystery that was hinted at quickly evaporated and there isn’t much to make this worth reading, honestly. The narration is rather simple and doesn’t add any compelling reason to why the narrative has turned in this direction. And I smell hints of further child abuse, based on other reviews and what this story has looked like. Not really the gothic story I expected or want.

Great story. I enjoyed the interesting twists, and the vacation feel. The story takes place in a small seaside French town, with aristocrats summering from England. However, as always, everything is not as it seems. I suggest this book for anyone hoping for something not too difficult to follow for the summer, or something that will make you want to get away from it all. It did get a bit confusing at times because I couldn't keep track of the super-British names (LOL!) and how they were related, but I figured it out in the end. Trigger warning, there is some sexual and physical assault, so if that's not something that you are okay with, maybe miss out on this book. I still greatly enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to someone for a getaway book!

I wanted to love this because I love Phoebe Wynne but this was too confusing from the first page. It was had to follow and it was a DNF for me

This book is the train wreck that you cannot look away from. Full of despicable characters and three vulnerable young girls, I found myself invested in the story just to make sure that nothing happened to the girls.

Set on the Cote d’ Azur in a French chateau, the Ashby family and several of their so-called “friends” spend their holiday beachside while drinking and arguing. Several of the men are guilty of inappropriate behavior towards the young girls. The parents of the girls were selfishly into themselves and completely oblivious to what their daughters were going through. Money, or lack thereof, was a focus of many of the arguments.

The holiday was a ticking time bomb that eventually blew up with catastrophic consequences. I’ll admit, I was a bit shocked at the ending. For such a dreamy setting, this holiday was a nightmare and the title is very befitting of the way the holiday ended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and offer my honest review.

This book was a "did not finish" as I could not get past a number of things. First, though this is billed as Gothic fiction on par with "Rebecca" there is not much in my opinion that elevates this book to that level. Having loved Phoebe Wynne's last book "Madame", I expected much of the same pace of writing and character development but sadly that wasn't the case this time. The main character, Ruby, seems to be little more than the neglected child of rich parents. At halfway through the book there were numerous hints as sexual abuse and a more protracted amount of neglect, but given that at halfway through that part of the plot had not been fully developed, I found it difficult to stick with the story such as it was. In general the "slow burn" opening is just a plodding expanse through which multiple characters drag with the suggestion of a murder in the background. The men are grating and abrasive, the women self-centered and brash, the children ignored or used as pawns. Overall, this book was very disappointing and I was unable to solider through it.

I was honestly surprised by how amazing this novel was! At first I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy the book but the characters were excellent and the plot was fantastic!

Please read content warnings! Publishers, please provide them!

The summer of 1985 was a memorable one - not only for the cloistered families in the French chateau, but also for readers anxious to get their hands on Madam’s sequel! Several factors make this a memorable read, most of all the author’s foray into abuse (physical, emotional, sexual) often times with minors, murder, violence and graphic descriptions. It was a risky move, one that I’m not sure I would have taken. I struggled to finish the book.

Despite my abhorrence and ill at ease, the author excelled at creating a sense of atmosphere and place. Readers will be able to place themselves in the setting and almost feel the nipping Cote d’Azur mistral (wind) racing through the Chateau des Setes while they come to the realization of how very alone they are. Both of these increase the creepy vibe! Balancing out this eerieness, are the endless languid days on the terrace lounging under the French sun. The wealthy parents abandon their children in favour of sipping cocktails poolside and engaging in questionable activities and embarrassing admissions.

I struggled to pinpoint the author’s focus until I thought about the title. Wynne has explored how young, innocent lives can be ruined by those they trust the most to protect them. The abuse is rampant and shocking, leading me to eventually close the cover and stop reading.

I hope this book finds the right reader. It isn’t me.

I was gifted this advance copy by Phoebe Wynne, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Not unlike Madam, the entitlement and bad behavior leaves me shocked and confused about how people can act the way they do. The storyline was like a car crash...I couldn't look away. I feel like there are a lot of characters, which is good but hard for me to keep them straight. I did like that, despite the sadness and tortured feelings, it's good to see someone happy in the end.

An upperclass British family is summering at their chateau on the French Riviera. They are also hosting a large group of adult friends, their own 11 year old daughter, two more preteens and one teen age girl. Bad, irresponsible behavior and entitlement seem to be their bywords. The women mostly push the girls to behave in what they consider to be a appropriate way and not to inconvenience them. The men are generally drunk and, in my opinion, abhorrent. I did not find a single character relatable, yet I was totally engrossed in learning what happens next, thus the four stars. It takes place in two different time periods twenty something years apart, the final one when one of the girls, now a widow, returns to see the chateau from the unforgettable summer. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Ruins.

I'm always baffled when authors write stories revolving around the most heinous of characters': pedophiles and sexual predators.

You just know it's not going to turn out well for anyone.

The Ruins was not a good book; not in tone or content, not in character or style.

If you want to read 300 pages about privileged, self entitled, boozy, male predators leering and making disgusting comments over prepubescent girls, then read The Ruins.

If you want to read about adults getting drunk, getting wasted, mothers ignoring their daughters' fears and concerns, then read The Ruins.

If you want to read 300 pages of sleazy exposition that is just basically filler (the action doesn't reveal itself until the last 10 pages), then read The Ruins.

What are the odds that the main character's father's friends are all sexual predators?

I did like the setting, and the writing was okay but The Ruins was a unpleasant read.

I wish we could fine every editor/PR team for calling a book Gothic, because I firmly believe no one really knows what the word means.

The Ruins isn't Gothic, feminist or empowering; it was just a sad, bitter tale filled with deeply abhorrent people.

I would have liked this more if it wasn't so traumatic/graphic with the sexual abuse to young children. The parents and adults in this book are just deplorable and atrocious. "The Ruins" could have described the adults in this perfectly because they are ruining their lives with the choices they make.

Cannot recommend this. 1 star for the cover.

Thanks to Netgalley, Phoebe Wynne and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 7/5/22

3.5 stars, rounded down
The Ruins is billed as a gothic coming of age story. Gothic seems a weird adjective, as it takes place in 1985. It covers an affluent English family who have a chateau in Southern France. While hosting friends, a car accident occurs. The story is told from the perspective of young Ruby, the 12 year old only child. The adults all seem to be vying for the “Worst Parent” award. They ignore or belittle the three young women. In one case, a daughter is literally left behind. The adults drink to excess, fight constantly. These are just ugly people, despite their supposed good breeding. The story deals with the haves and the have nots, the sense of privilege, of being able to get away with things because of one’s position.
Years later, Mrs. Cosgrove arrived back in the French town with the intention of buying the chateau. We aren’t told who she is, but it’s apparent she’s one of the young girls.
The story crept up on me. The adults are all so horrible, so cringe worthy that I didn’t want to be in their company. But still…I wanted to see how it would all play out. Would anyone be held accountable for their actions? In some way, it reminded me of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” with all the fighting. It’s a very disturbing ending and I can’t say it totally worked for me.
Warning - there are overtones of pedophilia. There are also incidents of child abuse.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

CW: physical/emotional/sexual abuse, violence, murder, graphic scenes, child abuse/neglect

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review The Ruins.

Phoebe Wynne’s second novel The Ruins follows several aristocratic families staying at a chateau together in France during the summer of 1985, and the consequences of long-term feuds and true colors coming to fruition.

Through both Madam and The Ruins, Wynne has proven to be a master at telling stories of the horrors that girls and women have endured throughout time, and how those horrors still bleed over into modern day society. While I’ve seen this novel in particular categorized as “mystery,” I personally consider it to be more along the lines of horror due to its content. Horror does not have to be gore and guts, it can be subtle and almost unnoticed until it’s too late for the protagonist. Wynne also proves time and time again that monsters come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them look like people you trust.

The setting of this novel was phenomenal. Wynne truly has an art to atmospheric writing. You can practically feel the breeze in the halls of this old chateau and taste the food being served every night by the housekeeper. High-society is one of my guilty pleasure settings in books, and this one did not disappoint. The difference between the chateau and the rest of the village was done perfectly - creating isolation both outside and within the walls of the large estate. There is an element of isolation created, which adds this eeriness to the entire novel, knowing that anything can happen when no one else can see.

I also loved the take on the “uninvited guests” trope - while these guests were in fact invited for the summer, they outstay their welcome almost immediately. The entire novel begins feeling like a fever dream, as if these horrible people are never leaving the house and there is no escape. It plays on that isolation factor again - no one comes in, no one leaves.

The only thing that wasn’t my favorite with the novel was the lack of content warning. I’m hoping the publishers consider the addition of one, because for me personally, the content took me off guard. And as a survivor of sexual abuse when I was younger, I wish I knew going into it that this would be the heaviest theme of all in the book, and it essentially carries the plot. The sexual abuse with the children is very transparent throughout the novel and at times was very hard to read. In general, a content warning would not have deterred me from reading it, but a heads up is important in my opinion.

Overall, I would recommend this novel, as long as one is aware of the content going into it. I think it makes for a good summer read, and I especially enjoyed the callback to Madam towards the end. Phoebe Wynne has crafted another great novel and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

The Ruins largely follows Ruby, a spoiled pre-teen who is spending the summer at her family home in the French Riviera. The book begins with an end-of-the-school-year event that is abruptly broken up when one of the guests hits a man with his car and then comes running back to ask Ruby’s father to fix the situation for him. The rest of the summer is peppered with uninvited guests and predatory men, neglectful parents and children trying to keep each other safe. This is a difficult book to read and thoroughly unenjoyable. The audience for this book will likely be quite small and they will have to be able to accept a cast of the most unlikeable characters I have ever seen in a book. After having enjoyed Madam by the same author, I was quite excited to get my hands on this book. Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. I’m still trying to follow the threads of the story but so much of it doesn’t make sense to me that I’m struggling. I really can’t recommend this book.

"Phoebe Wynne's The Ruins is a suspenseful, femimist Gothic coming-of-age tale with shades of Patricia Highsmith and Atonement, pitched against the sun-soaked backdrop of the French Riviera.

The most dazzling summer casts the darkest shadows.

Welcome to the Chateau des Sètes, a jewel of the Cote d'Azur, where long summer days bring ease, glamour, and decadence to the holidaymakers who can afford it.

Ruby Ashby adores her parents' house in France, but this August, everything feels different. Unexpected guests have descended upon the chateau - friends of her parents, and their daughters - and they are keen to enjoy the hot, extravagant summer holiday to its fullest potential. Far from England, safe in their wealth and privilege, the adults revel in bad behavior without consequence, while the girls are treated as playthings or abandoned to their own devices. But despite languid days spent poolside and long nights spent drinking, a simmering tension is growing between the families, and the sanctuary that Ruby cherishes soon starts to feel like a gilded cage.

Over two decades later the chateau is for sale, its days of splendor and luxury long gone, leaving behind a terrible history and an ugly legacy. A young widow has returned to France, wanting to purchase the chateau, despite her shocking memories of what transpired that fateful summer. But there is another person who is equally haunted by the chateau, and who also seeks to reclaim it. Who will set the chateau free - and who will become yet another of its victims?

With riveting psychological complexity, The Ruins captures the tangled legacy of abuse, the glittering allure of the Mediterranean - and the dark shadows that wait beneath the surface of both."

I was sold at Gothic and Patricia Highsmith, but the hints of Riviera add just the something extra.

Phoebe Wynne is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. I absolutely loved Madam in this book is no exception. A twisty tale in a warm glamorous local. It’s very atmospheric book.

I don't often think about content warnings for novels, but in this case, I'd advocate for one. The description was completely misleading. "...the adults revel in bad behavior without consequence, while the girls are treated as playthings or abandoned to their own devices." UM no. There is rampant sexual abuse by the FATHERS, while the mothers turn a blind eye. I couldn't even finish this. It was totally disturbing and had I known that's what this would be about, I wouldn't have requested it.

I don't know what the point of this book was? But for me, it certainly wasn't a "suspenseful, femimist Gothic coming-of-age tale" as promised. Stop putting "Gothic" on everything just because it's trendy now.

Loved this thriller! It’s the perfect setting for a summer read and is full of twists and turns. I would highly recommend this one if you are interested in thrillers, suspense, or just a good story!

The Ruins is set in two time periods. As a young woman Ruth spends time at the luxurious villa in the Cote dAzur. Two families are there, having a grand time together. Until a chill sets in between the two families and a tragedy marrs the relationship and leaves behind secrets.

Twenty years later the villa is in ruins and a woman who was there the summer that Ruth was wants to buy it - despite her personal trauma from that time.

Someone else is also seeking to buy it. The mystery behind the villa remains haunting and the question of whether the buyers will free the place of it's mysterious past or whether the past will take another life become the center of this mystery.

Here is my review. I know it's not what the author or publishers want.

I really wanted to like this book but I didn't. Only one character was likeable, Imogene. The parents were all abusive, verbally and some sexually abusive. And the alcohol has it's own subplot. There were so many negatives that I really had a hard time reading it much less finish it. But I did finish it and next came the review. I cannot in all conscience recommend this book. It's very depressing.

I received an ARC of this ebook from Netgalley. This is a very honest review.


I will post my review when it goes live on Amazon.