Let me preface this review by saying that The Lost Girls of Willowbrook is not for the faint of heart. If you’re on the fence about reading this, might I suggest a quick Google search of ‘Willowbrook State School’? The pictures and news headlines will likely turn your stomach. This book is based on the very real, very infamous Staten Island, New York, mental institution that, for decades, served as a “dumping ground for the broken and insane and unwanted.”

Willowbrook housed thousands of children and adults from 1947-1987. While the institution was called a “school” the only children who received any form of education were those living on the “experiment ward.” And yes, that's exactly what you’re thinking it is.

I usually don’t include much of a synopsis in my reviews, but I think this one calls for a pretty big heads up. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook tells the story of 16-year-old Sage Winters who, like many kids in the early 1970s, grew up hearing about Willowbrook State School. It was the stuff of ghost stories and playground rumors; the place parents threatened to send their misbehaving children. When Sage learns that her identical twin sister, Rosemary, has run away from the school, she’s shocked. Sage had no idea her sister had been committed; her parents told her that Rosemary died of pneumonia six years ago.

When her deadbeat stepfather refuses to care, Sage sets out alone to find her missing sister. What follows is a harrowing and heartbreaking tale of an incredibly brave young woman learning about the extent of human depravity. I have to say, Sage is one of the strongest characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. This was my first novel by Ellen Marie Wiseman, but it won’t be my last. The writing is incredible and it’s clear that Wiseman has done her research. It is a fast-paced and suspenseful story that historical fiction lovers will definitely want to check out.

As someone who works in the psychiatric field, this was a book I knew I needed to read. The exposure of the horrors of Willowbrook in 1971 led to new policies and protections for children and adults in the United States and helped to create the patient-centered care focus we strive for in mental health treatment today. While we still have a long way to go, it's encouraging to see how far we've come.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to be an early reader.

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook is not a happily ever after story for the patients that walked trough it's doors. Willowbrook Mental Institution was not only a cover up for unwanted children, some with special needs and some without, but it is was a monstrosity of what a mental healthcare facility gone awry looked like in the 1970's.

Ellen Marie Wiseman shares a nightmarish description, evoking a deeply disturbing picture full of shocking astonishment and dark secrets. She creates a story of two girls, twins, Sage and Rosemary and sets them in the dreadful, real world existence of the Willowbrook home. Sage, living a poor upbringing, the responsibility of her repulsive and disconnected step-father, believes Rosemary to be dead due to an illness. Instead of dying, Sage finds that her sister has actually been hidden away at Willowbrook, a secret her step father has never revealed.

Sage, with nothing to lose at home, and the possibility of finding her long lost sister, sets out to Willowbrook to find, reconnect, and save Rosemary. Sage, the identical twin of Rosemary is mistaken as Rosemary and is taken into Willlowbrook custody. The horrors that follow are unfathomable., Sage not only finds herself in a living hell, but learns the truth of her sister's "disappearance", Sage, in danger herself, proceeds to learn that no one is who they seem, no one is trustworthy, and these mysterious and suspicious disappearance are of no concern to anyone..

Read on to find the outcome of Sage's story, Rosemary's fate, and the history and demise of Willowbrook.


Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this incredible work of historical fiction.

#thelostgirlsofwillowbrook
#netgalley
#historicalfiction2022
#ellenmariewiseman

In this historical fiction we follow sixteen year old Sage Winters as she searches for her twin sister, Rosemary, after she discovers Rosemary did not die six years prior, but was actually sent to Willowbrook School. Once she arrives to help in the search, attendants mistake Sage for Rosemary and a living nightmare ensures for Sage.

This is not an easy read due to its intense subject matter and the fact that while the story is fiction, Willowbrook and the mistreatment of people being sent to institutions such as Willowbrook is true. As a special education teacher I had to put down the book several times to take a break from the realities of how horrible human beings can be to one another.

The author does a fantastic job with the details of Willowbrook and it is clear how throughly she has researched the subject. While there were some moments that I felt the narrative went a little long and some of the continuing questions the narrator asked were redundant, I feel this is wonderful book about a very difficult topic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Look for it August, 2022.

A devastating work of fiction set during the sixties at a real location, Willowbrook State School, a nightmare of a place located in New York. Sage is a teenager, a twin. Her sister had been developmentally disabled, and when Sage finds out that she was not actually dead as she had been told all those years ago, but instead has gone missing from Willowbrook where she had been institutionalized all this time, she sets out to find out what happened to her. Sage finds herself in circumstances she would have never imagined. And it's going to take everything she has to simply survive. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. The premise seemed predictable for one thing. But boy, was I wrong. After a while, I was on the edge of my seat wondering where I would be taken next. Ellen Marie Wiseman (author of The Orphan Collector), took me on a thriller of a roller coaster ride. Some of it I saw coming. Most of it I didn't. By the last quarter of the book, I couldn't fly through it fast enough. This book publishes August 30, 2022. But do yourself a favor. Preorder it now. You'll want to read it the minute it becomes available.

Name of Book: The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
Author: Ellen Marie Wiseman
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: August 30, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars!

There is an urban legend that every child on Staten Island has heard; it regards a Satanic ritual that occurs in the old abandoned sanatorium. Children have been warned to stay close to home as people are still searching for the remains of lost children.

Sixteen years old Sage Winters overheard her stepfather Alan tell her uncle that he fears the lost girl at Willowbrook might be Rosemary. Sage is confused by this as her twin sister Rosemary died of pneumonia six years ago. Sage is now told the truth that Rosemary is a patient at Willowbrook State School where she is being cared for and is being taught basic skills to help her with her learning disability.

Sage doesn’t tell anyone but sneaks off to Willowbrook to find out the truth. She is shocked to discover that Willowbrook is a mental hospital.
While there she is mistaken for her twin sister and admitted to the hospital.

This story is historical fiction and our author has done extensive research.
[author: Ellen Marie Wiseman] tells us in her ‘Author’s Note’ (which is a story in itself!) that Willowbrook State School was located on Staten Island, New York (1947-1987) and was a hospital for children with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. However, it was overcrowded, and underfunded. It was supposed to be a school for people with disabilities but actually became a ‘dumping place’ for abandoned unwanted children. The staff was not trained to deal with the violence and other crimes that took place.
Most who were sent to Willowbrook lived a short horrible time; it is estimated that 12,000 patients died between 1950 and 1980.

This story is very interesting and good but also disturbing ~ not an enjoyable but it is a captivating read.
Although it has been awhile since I read [author: T. Greenwood]’s [book: Keeping Lucy] this story reminded me a bit of it!


I believe this would be a hit for any book club discussion. A ‘Reading Group Guide’ is provided with excellent thoughtful questions. In fact, these questions would enhance any reader’s thoughts.

Want to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 30, 2022.

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman is an important albeit not an easy read as the subject matter is intense with a reminder of how cruel and brutal the world can be. The book is primarily set at the real-life Willowbrook State School, the infamous Staten Island mental institution which was essentially a dumping ground for unwanted children. Sage Winters is the main character, who learns at the beginning of the novel, that her twin sister Rosemary, who she had thought had died 6 years earlier from pneumonia actually had been sent to Willowbrook and was now missing from the institution. Sage sets out to help find Rosemary and ends up getting mistaken for her identical twin and gets trapped at the institution. This book is historical fiction, with a mystery component that makes you want to keep reading and find out what had actually happened to Rosemary.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this, but in the end it was just poorly disguised tragedy porn and extremely repetitive. The story line had possibilities, but the over-the-top repetitive descriptions and the unrealistic antics just didn't work for me.

Oh my goodness what an exploitative hot mess! A serial killer stalks the halls and undercroft of a badly-run institution for the mentally ill and disabled, but it's the oh-so-brave abled sister of one patient/inmate who arrives to uncover the mystery of her sister's disappearance and save all the other inmates! Gag. Yes, these institutions were--and still are--in use. But using one as the setting and using its inmates as victims all so an abled character can be a hero? Not a book I'd want anyone to read.

This book started so strong and I was super invested.. until I wasn’t. This was extremely long with so many things that were repetitive and I ended up seeing what happened from a mile away. I loved the premise, but not my favorite read lately. I will definitely read more from this author in the future though because I think there’s a lot of potential for something I’ll love!

It’s been a while since I’ve raced through a book like I did with this one. I kept turning pages, wanting to know what would happen next and who was responsible. The book offered everything I’d want in a mystery.

This book is the stuff that can give you nightmares, awake or asleep. It’s horror come to life, but all too true for what was happening in institutions for those with mental disabilities in the 1970s. Worse, in this case, is that many of the children held in Willowbrook were just unwanted children, or children with physical impairments. I can guarantee you that this book will haunt you.

Sage Winters has just learned that her twin sister Rosemary did not die as she’d been told. She’s been confined to Willowbrook State School. Rosemary, who’d always been different, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis. At the same time, Sage learns that Rosemary is missing, and her stepfather has no plans to help find her. Sage decides to go to the facility and help in the search. Sage, who’s intelligent and perfectly sane, however, doesn’t count on being mistaken for Rosemary and confined. It’s an eye opening experience for Sage, and one filled with terrors she’d never dreamed possible. Worse, Sage didn’t tell anyone that she planned to go to Willowbrook. Then, Sage learns that there’s a murder on the loose with access to the school.

This books shows the brutality and the cruel and uncaring treatment, the starvation, that patients suffered within the walls of this institution and others of its ilk. The things these children and young women (and men) suffered to keep them submissive is heartbreaking. There’s also sex abuse and experimentation that patients endure, many not understanding what’s happening to them. It’s not a place anyone would willing choose to be. Sage must try to find someone to help her and figure out how to escape.

The writing of this book is powerful and it dealt with the horrific conditions and treatment with a calm and steady hand. This was a rewarding read. I raced through
it as fast as I could because I needed to know how things turned out. I wasn’t disappointed, and it explained some questions I had about facilities similar to Willowbrook in my locality during the same time period.

Know going in that this is a heartrending story. As I said, it could well give you nightmares, but it will also educate you. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be my last.

I highly recommend this book. Just know that it included horrific treatment of the innocent. We should all be ashamed that such situations ever existed in this country.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Pub Date: August 30, 2022
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
* Historical Fiction
The cover alone made me want to read this book! The author I was familiar with from other books she had written. THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN, was named A GREAT GROUP READS Selection of the Women’s National Book Association and National Reading Group Month, and a Goodreads Best of the Month for July. I would pick this for one of my book club selections this year, but one of our members says I pick too many "sad" books. So now
I give you a fair warning. While this is a brilliantly written book, it’s not an easy read. It’s written so realistically, a combination of fiction and facts.
But nevertheless, this is a masterpiece, if you can open your eyes and mind to the harsh reality of how mentally and physically disabled people were treated. This book is one you will not forget. I am purchasing it for our library and recommending it. 5 stars

I tried really hard to stick with this book because the writing is really well done and you can tell it is impeccably researched, BUT it's just way way too depressing and the inhumanity of it all was leaving a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Tha k you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Anne Marie Wiseman for letting me read the “TheLost Girls of Willowbrook in exchange for an honest review.
I saw a review for this on Goodreads and checked it out. I was lucky enough to get it via NetGalley so quickly.

I give you a fair warning. While this being a brilliantly written book, it’s not an easy read. It’s written so realistically, a combination of fiction and facts. At some point I felt sick to my stomach and had to stop for a second.

But nevertheless, this is a masterpiece, if you can open your eyes and mind to the harsh reality of how mentally and physically disabled people were treated.

The cover, a puddle of water, beautiful red shoes on the top, a girl mirrored in the puddle. The reflection is unfocused. Maybe one of the “lost girls”? Looks like a younger child maybe. If judging a book by its cover, I would probably have picked it up.

16-years-old Sage Winters lives with her stepfather in Staten Island. One night she overhears a conversation that someone is missing from Willowbrooks. Who is missing? She doesn’t know anyone there. It’s quite the shook to hear that it is her twin sister Rosemary who she thought had died six years ago from pneumonia. What on earth is her sister doing in a mental hospital, missing, and why was Sage being lied to?

Sage goes to Willowbrooks to look for her sister, not telling anyone where she went. Full of hope, as her sister is alive. She still thinks this is a school and Rosemary will be well cared for. Oh how wrong she was. What happens is that Sage gets mistaken for her twin and is admitted. Who can she trust? Who can she make believe? How can she get out? Most importantly, what really happened to her sister??? This is a brilliant book.

The novel is set in 1971. I did like that Wiseman used the correct terms for that time period. I’d scream bloody murder if someone used the term retarded these days. But she builds the setting up masterfully. I was hooked from the first page. I would have preferred it to be from the first persons POV, but nevertheless we get great insight into Sage. That is just a personal preference of mine.

The Willowbrook State School was real. This part of the novel is not fiction. It was a school for children with intellectual disabilities, running from 1947 until 1987. I looked at some photographs and it makes me sick to my stomach. Reading about it gives me the creeps and makes me mad. I work with disabled people and thank gods. While things are not perfect, they are better than Willowbrook. To put it frankly, Willowbrook was “a dumping place” for all the young people not fitting into society. It’s disgusting that places like this existed.

If you want to get some more information, check Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willowbrook_State_School

In 1971, sixteen-year-old Sage Winters overhears her stepfather Alan and his friend Larry discussing the recent disappearance of Sage’s twin sister Rosemary from the premises of Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, New York. Unbeknownst to Sage, her mentally disturbed sister had been sent away to Willowbrook six years ago. Sage had been told by her now-deceased mother that Rosemary had died from pneumonia. Sage is shocked by the revelation that her sister, whom she loved and still grieves for , is alive. Concerned for her sister’s well-being, she travels alone to Willowbrook to assist in the search efforts. She has also heard rumors of a serial killer who kidnaps and kills his victims and is said to commit his crimes in and around the area. However, upon her arrival, things do not go as planned. Mistaken for her absconding twin sister, Sage is institutionalized and what follows is nothing less than a nightmare. Sage soon realizes that this is no School but a “dumping ground for the broken and insane and the unwanted”. She witnesses firsthand the neglect, abusive treatment and horrific living conditions within the closed walls of the facility.

What happened to Rosemary? Is there anyone in Willowbrook Sage can trust? How can Sage prove her true identity before it’s too late? Is the rumored serial killer with ties to Willowbrook more than just an urban legend?

Informative, fast-paced and suspenseful, I found The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman hard to put down. The author brilliantly combines fact and fiction in this hard-hitting, gripping and intense novel.
Please note that this is not an easy read. In reality, Willowbrook State School was a state-supported facility for the treatment of developmentally disabled children that was in operation between 1947 and 1987. The atrocities inflicted upon the vulnerable residents of Willowbrook are unimaginable and the author does not hold back in describing the depravity and inhuman treatment the patients of Willowbrook had to endure including the physical and sexual abuse, experimental treatments and filthy living conditions. The author also incorporates the urban legend of the serial killer “Cropsey” into the narrative of Willowbrook. The author’s note at end of the book is quite informative and tells us more about the facility, its history and the aftermath of the scandal.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing a digital review copy of this exceptional book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Ellen Marie Wiseman’s books are always excellent and The Lost Girls of Willowbrook had me captivated the whole time.

I was so into the story she was weaving, I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish.

As Sage heads out to search for her missing twin, Rosemary, she has no idea the journey she’s about to embark upon. She’s been told years ago that Rosemary was placed in Willowbrook State School, a school for misbehaved children or mentally handicapped, where she died. Turns out, Willowbrook isn’t a school at all and turns out Rosemary’s not dead.

Sage goes through an inner and outer journey to finding strength and peace while finding a way to free herself from many real and figurative demons.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

5 stars

Overall I really liked this book! Some may find the premise a bit predictable but I enjoyed the unexpected twists. I think the author does an excellent job of teasing readers, making them believe it might go one way but something different ends up happening. The nature of the book made it difficult to read at times, knowing the harrowing and heartbreaking things real life residents at Willowbrook endured. I hadn’t heard of the real Willowbrook prior to this book but now I plan to search a bit more and read some of the resources the author shared in the notes.

Deeply disturbing read based on historical events. I felt there were too many flashbacks and not enough in the present to keep me engaged in reading. I would have preferred more history of the institution and less fiction.

Ellen Marie Wiseman is such a great writer. Every book she has written is detailed and compelling! When I saw this new novel, I knew I was going to love it and I did!

The author’s books dip into history and teach us about different times and places. With this new novel, I wanted to learn more after reading about Willowbrook, I didn’t even know this place existed! I searched for more information and details and wow! After you read this novel, I encourage you to read more about it. It really was a hospital of horrors!



Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary—awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears—seemed to need more protection from the world. Six years after Rosemary’s death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage’s stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn’t die. She was committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until just a few days ago, when she went missing.

Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It’s always been a place shrouded by rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. With no idea what to expect, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, determined to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways she never could have imagined . . .

You can read all of Ellen’s books before this one comes out in August!

This is one of the most disturbing books that I have ever read. Yet, I could not look away. The factor that makes it so disturbing is that even though this is a novel it is based on facts.

Willowbrook was built as a New York State school for children with intellectual disabilities. It became a fate far worse than death for the child residents of the institution.

Sage is the main character. She is the twin sister of Rosemary who was sent to the school by her mother for behavioural issues. When Rosemary disappears, 16 year old Sage takes it upon herself to go to the school (by bus) and help search for her missing sister. Upon arrival, she is mistaken for Rosemary and becomes an unwilling resident herself.

In her short time at Willowbrook Sage saw and experienced many atrocities and injustices towards the patients/residents. I admired Sage's tenacity and determination to discover the truth about what had happened to her sister. To complicate matters, there seemed to be an unknown killer on the loose too.

While there were not any actual twists and turns in the plot, it kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how everything would be resolved. I had a few different scenarios in my head.

Kudos to Ms Wiseman for all the research she did in order that this story could come to fruition. Surely, the horrors that she came across must have kept her up for more than one night.

This is not a book for everybody. Some of the descriptions are very graphic which could be triggering for some readers. But, it is a very compelling read. I have since read a few articles online about Willowbrook. This book is not an exaggeration.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Sage and Rosemary Winters are identical twins and share a very close bond, as twins often do. When they were ten years old, the unthinkable happened and Rosemary died from pneumonia. Fast forward six years and Sage is sixteen years old and living with her stepfather, Alan. Sage’s mother died in a tragic car accident. And now Sage discovers a mind blowing secret that Alan has been keeping from her…Rosemary is alive!!! She was committed to the Willowbrook State School, which is a mental institution. Now will Sage be able to find her long lost sister?

What a great book! Ellen Marie Wiseman certainly did her homework on this story about the infamous Willowbrook State School. I am always up for a great historical fiction story and this one fits that bill perfectly. Based on true events, it is really troubling how mental health was managed 50 years ago.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.