"The Schoolhouse" is a wrenching read. The plot goes back and forth between 1975 and 1990 with a strong sense of childhood vulnerability and the multiple dangers of the alternative school the plot is based from. I would recommend for those who are not triggered by child abuse and/or assault. Well written. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The plot switches timelines, going back and forth from a poorly run alternative school in 1975 to the search for a missing child in 1990. Neither set of circumstances held my interest. The diary entries written by a ten year old who attended The Schoolhouse felt absolutely authentic, but that meant spending a lot of time reading about a young girl's day to day life, with a few glimpses that show how bad things at the school really were. The whole situation was pretty bleak.

I was very intrigued by this concept, but ultimately the story fizzled out for me. Probably going to be hyped, but not an OMG amazing read

I found this book hard to get into. The two storylines were quite confusing at times and the pacing of the book didn't feel right to me. The opening few chapters felt overly long and the ending felt quite rushed.

The Schoolhouse is your basic police detective story set in the 1990s. After a young girl goes missing one afternoon in North London Detective Carter is assigned the case. During the investigation she discovers a link to a school and scandals of the past.

The premise of this book is misleading. I did not see the point is having alternating chapters from a witness perspective in 1975. I think the detective could have told that story just as well while investigation. I enjoy the book but it will not be on the favorite list for the year.

This is a new style for Sophie Ward (of Love and Other Thought Experiments fame). Its part police procedural, part mystery thriller and part found media in a journal that provides necessary flashbacks. For me, this was enjoyable but not as unique as the last book which I loved!

In The Schoolhouse we meet Isobel, a deaf woman who was a student many years ago in the schoolhouse, a school for handicapped children. A letter she receives and the news of a recent disappearance of a student brings back traumatic memories of her time. Through journal entries, flashbacks and the POV of a the police we learn about a very upsetting practice. It's a well written book and great for anyone who loves police procedurals or interested in learning more about the sordid history of education for handicapped students.. #Knopf

Loved this book - the eerie vibes, the dual timeline, and how we eventually get to see the whole picture. A great suspence read!

Before I talk about this book, I’d like to first fan girl over the author, Sophie Ward. Back in the 80’s I was a shy geeky teen. We went to see movies a lot and when my mom asked if I’d like to go see Young Sherlock Holmes, I squealed. Even back then, I loved mysteries. To say I was obsessed with the film is an understatement, we went 7 times to see it in the theater. My favorite character was Elizabeth Hardy. She was beautiful, she was smart (boy was she smart) and in the 80’s that was a rare thing, you couldn’t be both. So imagine my joy when I saw this book offered on NetGalley! (I missed her first book, so will need to buy that one soon)
Now on to my review. As you can see, I loved this book. It’s so well written and I love the back and forth between the 70’s and 90’s. The story flows and the characters are well thought out. Isobel's story is heartbreaking, as you find out what happened to her in the 70’s through diary entries, which makes her into the woman she is in the 90’s. Carter is a smart, strong character, that makes police work look easy. It all comes to a satisfying conclusion. Can’t wait to read more by the author and watch Young Sherlock Holmes again!

So many other viewers' seemed to favor the author's previous book (Love & Other Thought Experiments) but I was immediately drawn into Isobel's quietly and carefully constructed existence in the "present day" (the 90's, lol) and the journal excerpts from the 70's. The muted menace of the past leeches into the current narrative, coming to a not completely unexpected conclusion, but still enjoyable all the same.

A very gripping story that plays with timelines as much as it plays with your emotions, mainly of fear.
A nice mixture of psychological fear making this an edge-of-your-seat thriller.
You may ask yourself, do you have routines? and if so, how messed up is your day if something in that routine doesn't go right.
We have a situation where a memory spins a characters fears into full throttle causing fears to come true.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, but I gave it a chance. There were a couple of confusing parts when some of the timelines blurred, but for the most part I kept everything straight.

This does make me interested in maybe checking out other stories by this author.