This book had me tense from the start with the prologue in the POV of a child living at The Coram House that witnesses something awful happen, straight into interview transcripts with now-grown residents of The Coram House and then on location when writer Alex Kelley arrives on scene and her initial tour of the location...creepy! 
The setting is definitely a main character in this one—it’s very atmospheric in the winter woods surrounding a large lake with an old orphanage right in the middle of it all. 
I was not FULLY surprised by the twist, but the characters, setting, the history and plot were all so intense that I flew through this one: definitely a page turner. 
I do wish we had more of Alex’s backstory with her late husband and even more about her “flop” of a last book, but her drive to get the story to right for the kids of The Coram House was strong thought out the book. 
Would definitely recommend this thriller/mystery, especially for fans of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and/or the movie Spotlight.

Struggling true crime writer Alex Kelley needs a fresh start. When she’s asked to ghostwrite a book about the orphanage—and the abuses that occurred there—she packs up her belongings and moves to wintry Burlington, Vermont.

Alex is a character I had mixed feelings about. She tends to jump to conclusions and she also does not seem to be a very nice person. And usually characters like this throw me off. But, the intensity of this tale had me captivated. I could not get this orphanage and the trauma surrounding it out of my head.

Even though I saw the twist coming, I am still giving this 5 stars. I loved the history of the orphanage and all the creepiness that this added to the tale.

Need an intense, creepy read with a twist…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Coram House
by Bailey Seybolt
Pub Date: Apr 15 2025

Coram House is inspired by an actual true story about a crime writer who risks everything as she investigates the mystery of two deaths, decades apart at a crumbling Vermont orphanage. It's a page turning slow read, but well worth it. The plot involves historical child abuse at religious institutions, there are a lot of police interviews, flashbacks based on terrible real-life crimes at St Joseph's Orphanage in Vermont.

Be warned, a very dark read. At times I had to put it down to take a break from reading it even though it was an interesting read. Knowing it is from actual events is what made it so interesting for me.

Many thanks to #AtriaBooks #NetGalley for providing me an E-ARC of this book.

“Did you ever suspect?”
“Never. Not for a minute.”

Those two lines from the epilogue of Bailey Seybolt’s debut novel, Coram House, perfectly sum up how I felt. Bailey Seybolt got me, and I didn’t mind a bit. In fact, I think I might have found another must-read author. Everything about this book works, from the small-town vibes to the creepy old building with echoes of abuse and neglect.

Huge thanks to Atria Books and Bailey Seybolt for this chilling ARC!

Have you ever picked up a book and instantly felt like the walls around you disappeared? 😅 Coram House did exactly that. Once I stepped inside this twisted orphanage mystery, I couldn’t stop reading. I was hooked from the first page. 🖤

👀 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭:
The grim, eerie atmosphere wrapped around this story like a fog. 😶‍🌫️It was absolutely haunting in the best way. Our FMC is a disgraced true crime writer digging into 30-year-old misconduct and abuse at a secluded orphanage. The past is DARK, and the secrets? Endless. 🫣

👀 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
🏚️ A creepy building with a dark history
✍️ A writer with secrets of her own
⚰️ Flashbacks that will chill you
⚖️ Major “Who do I trust?” vibes
❓Twists that hit hard and unexpectedly

👀 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠:
This is a slow burn thriller done right. 👏 Nothing is rushed, but nothing drags either. It builds tension with each chapter.

👀 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭?
YES—but with content warnings. If you’re sensitive to child abuse or sexual assault (described in flashbacks), approach with care. 🖤 This book isn’t horror, but it is haunting. It’s the kind of mystery that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the final page. 📖

👀 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟:
💥 Gillian Flynn
💥 Ashley Flowers
💥 Tana French

👀 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐝:
Dark & brooding 🌑 | Slow burn suspense 🕰️ | Hauntingly emotional 🫥

👀 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
🔎 Investigative thrillers with dark pasts
🧱 Isolated, small-town settings
👻 Gothic vibes without the ghosts
🧬 Long-buried secrets & institutional corruption
✍️ True crime-inspired fiction

I still can’t believe this book was a debut. It’s writing with such poise and amazing talent. This is one of the best books I have read so far in 2025. This book is told in the unique format of police interviews/transcripts.

Coram House draws readers into a compelling mystery that skillfully intertwines past and present, uncovering the hidden darkness of a former orphanage once run by the church. Set within the eerie remains of the now-deserted institution, Seybolt explores the inner lives of characters still haunted by their childhood experiences. The story follows Alex, who takes on the emotionally charged task of ghostwriting for a lawyer representing former residents in a lawsuit against the church. This premise becomes a powerful vehicle for unraveling the disturbing history of Coram House—a place once seen as a sanctuary, now steeped in pain and abandonment. Through unsettling depositions and testimonies, Alex uncovers a grim reality of abuse and neglect. The tension builds as the possibility of a child's death by drowning emerges, along with the mystery of a boy who may never have existed at all. This uncertainty adds depth and suspense, raising thought-provoking questions about memory, truth, and the narratives—personal or collective—that shape our understanding of the past.

I love that there were characters that you rooted for and characters that gave you the creeps. There are characters you wanted more of and some characters you couldn’t wait till they got off the page. I am going to highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a whodunnit.

Recent widow and former true crime bestselling author, Alex Kelley, signs a contract to ghostwrite a new book to tell the truth about Coram House. The story centers around mistreatment of children by nuns and priests in the 1960-1970s at the orphanage and the mysterious deaths or disappearances during that time. Set in snowy Vermont, Alex works her way through all of the evidence, and learns how much the town and former Coram House residents were hiding.

This was a great debut! The storyline was so chilling and I found myself guessing until the end. The twists were well done and my favorite part was how atmospheric it was.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

How far would you go to get answers?

With so many true crime programs out there in the media, do you ever think about all the time and effort and research it takes to put those together?

This is a story about a writer on her third book ready to make up for her second book that she had reservations about. She’d been through enough personally before being given the opportunity to ghostwrite a book, so was most likely hoping for a calm distraction from her crumbling personal life to take it up.

This was pretty interesting to see the making of process vs. the already created story. There are many rabbit holes to go down while researching. So many nuances and tiny details that may become monumental later for the book she’s helping to write.

For being a debut novel, I’m so curious to see what comes next from author Bailey Seybolt!

Thank you so much to the author, Bailey Seybolt, Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC of Coram House!

An outstanding haunting novel! The setting is a wintry town in Burlington, Vermont with some even more chilling characters. "On a blistering summer day in 1968 nine year old Tommy vanishes without a trace from Coram House an orphanage on the shores of Lake Champlain. Some say a nun drowned him. Some say he ran away. Or maybe he never existed." The last sentence had me scrambling to get this book. I loved it! It will be on my top ten list so far this year.
Alex, a crime writer, finds herself as a ghostwriter for a lawyer about the death of Tommy over 50 years ago and the mystery around the Coram House and its inhabitants. When I read it was inspired by the real-life crimes at St. Joseph's Orphanage in Vermont, I needed to investigate further. A chilling beginning when she discovers a woman's body. I loved the investigation process more than anything and I recommend this one for those of you who can take a slow burn, but an exceptional criminal investigation turning darker as it moves forward. *Warning of child abuse by a church leader
There are secrets and cover ups to keep me reading to find out the truth. As she gets closer, people begin to die, such as former nuns and witnesses.
Alex had many successes, as well as failures as a writer, as she tried to overcome heartache after her husband passed away. While she digs deeper into audio recorded interviews and locates former orphans, the pace picks up. So impressed with the author's writing!! Some of the characters are shady and sketchy, as a stranger comes into town looking for the truth.... The story of Alex's past comes in waves as her anxiety heightens.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this outstanding ARC in exchange for my review.

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt is an atmospheric and engaging twisty mystery inspired by true events. This is Seybolt's debut and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!!

After the death of her husband and a disastrous first book, Alex Kelley accepts a ghostwriting job centered around Coram House, a former orphanage located on Lake Champlain in Vermont. Hoping to prove to herself and to others that she can overcome her failures, Alex dives into the shady history of the orphanage. When she discovers shocking claims of abuse and the disappearance and possible murder of a little boy named Tommy she realizes that there is more to this story. Some say Tommy was murdered, some say he ran away and the conflicting accounts only drove Alex to dig deeper. But as she uncovers more secrets in the past, the present starts to show some startling connections. After finding a body in the woods, Alex is convinced that it is linked somehow to her investigation. Will she be able to find out the truth of what really happened in 1968.. or has she fallen into a web of lies and corruption so tangled even she can't work her way out?

This was a much anticipated book for me because I live in Vermont only a few hours away from Burlington where this was set. I loved how Seybolt masterfully captured the setting, a small quaint town but with dark secrets. This book kept me engaged throughout and I really liked the transcripts of interviews done with the children from Coram House; it definitely allowed the reader to see the case from different perspectives. I thought that that characters were well developed especially our MC Alex, you can feel her emotional turmoil over losing her husband and the shame she feels. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves an atmospheric thriller with a blend of true crime and fiction!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bailey Seybolt, and Atria Books for this ARC!! Publication date is April 15th 2025.

With its deft integration of mixed media storytelling, evocative atmosphere, and a plot that unspools with chilling precision, this debut novel emerges as a standout contender for one of 2025’s most compelling works of fiction. Drawing inspiration from the harrowing real-life abuses that occurred at Saint Joseph’s Orphanage in Vermont—a facility that operated from 1854 to 1974—the novel offers a powerful and haunting meditation on memory, justice, and the long shadows cast by institutional trauma.

The narrative opens in 1968 with the unexplained disappearance of nine-year-old Tommy on an oppressively hot summer day—an incident that remains unresolved for over fifty years. Decades later, the case resurfaces when Alex, a once-successful true crime author grappling with personal and professional turmoil, is commissioned to ghostwrite a book for a controversial figure named Stedson. Relocating from New York City to Burlington, Vermont, Alex quickly finds herself drawn into a labyrinthine investigation. As she uncovers layers of buried truth surrounding Tommy’s disappearance, a series of mysterious deaths linked to the original court case propels her into a race against time. Her only chance to unmask a killer lies in unraveling the secrets of the past before she becomes the next victim.

The novel’s structural ingenuity is particularly noteworthy. The author employs a compelling mix of narrative styles, interspersing traditional prose with excerpts from police interviews and courtroom testimonies from a compensatory trial in the late 1980s. These documentary-style inclusions serve not only to deepen the reader’s immersion but also to underscore the legal and emotional complexities surrounding institutional abuse cases. The result is a dynamic and suspenseful reading experience that balances psychological insight with thriller-paced urgency.

What sets this debut apart is the meticulous research underpinning its fictional framework. The pacing is tightly controlled, the dialogue authentic, and the characterizations—particularly of Alex—are rendered with nuance and emotional depth. The depiction of Vermont’s small-town atmosphere, with its undercurrents of secrecy and silence, enhances the narrative’s tension and thematic weight.

In all, this novel succeeds both as a page-turning mystery and as a poignant exploration of historical trauma and personal redemption. With its stunning plot twists and unrelenting sense of dread, it is a book that demands to be read in a single sitting—and one that lingers long after the final page. Keep this on your radar; it is not only an impressive debut but also a thought-provoking literary achievement.

Thank you @atriabooks for the gifted copies of this book!

Wowza! This was such a wonderful debut! I honestly cannot believe this is Bailey’s first book! Bravo! I was easily drawn into Alex, the writer, and her journey to tell the story of Coram House and the horrors that happened there. Coram House was an orphanage that at one point house children that were supposed to have been loved and taken care of. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened. Rumors of abuse, mistreatment, mystery and murder swirl to this day but everyone seems to just want to bury those details in the past. When Alex gets a hold of some of these facts and starts to interview people she starts a chain reaction and other dark secrets come to light. This book is based on a real life orphanage which made this book even more eerie and unnerving. I absolutely loved this book knowing that Bailey brought to light a story I wasn’t aware of and created an incredibly atmospheric and powerful narrative. The mystery was impressive, the writing was really well done and I found myself completely enthralled from start to finish. I highly recommend this one for anyone in the mood for a mystery!

I am DNFing at 25%. The story is a verrrrrry slow burn (like no burn at all) and I have just seen a review about the amount of child abuse coming up in this book, which I was not aware of when I requested it. Child abuse is one thing I don’t want to read about.

Thank you Atria Books for my #gifted copy of Coram House! #CoramHouse #BaileySeybolt #atriabooks #AtriaPartner

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐭
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

𝟒★

Wow! I found it hard to believe that this was a debut novel. This atmospheric, slow-burn by Bailey Seybolt was inspired by a true story about a well known orphanage in Vermont, Coram House, and the abuse that occurred there. This book was chilling and I feel like the cover of the book perfectly matches the vibe of the book so well. I enjoyed how the FMC, Alex is a crime writer who is ghost writing a book about Coram House and trying to uncover the truth. The use of mixed media in this book and just how everything was set up made this book such a wild ride and I loved it! It also allowed for the past and the present to merge together effortlessly and I really like how the author incorporated the use of mixed media into the book. I would definitely recommend this book and can’t wait to read whatever Seybolt writes next!

🛶Atmospheric
🛶Page Turner
🛶Based on a True Story
🛶Slow Burn
🛶Mixed Media Format
🛶Debut Novel

Posted on Goodreads on April 15, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around April 15, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on April 15, 2025
**-will post on designated date

So this book was interesting. Many twists and turns and I didn't know who was good or bad. Love these type of books

Thank you Publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

3.75 rounded up. I considered DNF this bc I wasn’t sure that this was going to pick up. However, I’m so glad I stuck with it. The characters were the weak part of the story for me as I didn’t feel a connection to them. However, the plot was very interesting and the setting was well described. The details of the plot started to come together for me about halfway through and the end was great with a very good twist!

Advanced reader copy provided by Atria and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Wow what a debut !!!

This books description immediately drew me in .
First off as a Catholic these stories upset me on a deep level . My great aunt was a nun & also my great grandfather who I never was blessed to meet was raised in a Catholic orphanage & I wanted to learn more about them & omg I pray he didn't deal with any of what's mentioned in this book. How traumatizing .. ☹️

Knowing this is based on a true story just really adds to the vibe of this book. You feel more deeply reading & imo get sucked in more than a fiction .
All the twist & turns throughout really keep u interested & I honestly had no idea who was good & who was bad because everyone seems sketchy & idk that anyone was truly innocent except Alex who is the main character & the one writing a book on coram house .
What a hold all these secrets have on this town & so many people all these years later ... Just goes to show nothing stays secret forever . 💀

Thank you to #NetGalley & Atria books . 🖤

One of my most anticipated books out today is Bailey Seybolt‘s debut, Coram House. Inspired by true events, this novel follows an investigative journalist as she delves into a decades-old crime at a Vermont orphanage. Back in 1968, a boy named Tommy drowned under suspicious circumstances. In 2016, Alex Kelley is working on a book (as a ghost writer) to uncover the horrors faced by the orphans there in the 1960s. It’s the mystery surrounding Tommy, in particular, that calls her forward, even as she finds newly murdered victims related to that old case.

Why I Chose This Book:
I’ve always enjoyed horror stories, especially those with themes of orphanages and religious institutions. There’s something extra heart-wrenching about the stories involving children. However, I’m a mom now to a 10-month-old… named Tommy, like the child in this book. I admit, that name made me hesitate, but Coram House looked too interesting to resist.

What I Liked:
- Bringing the children’s memories to the forefront. Throughout the book, there are portions of interviews done in the 1980s with the people who had once been residents at Coram House. The interviewees were in their 20s or 30s by that point, but I liked getting their firsthand accounts of what they experienced and the ways their memories sometimes contradicted one another.
- Examining the hypocrisy of religious figures. The orphanage here is run by a priest and several nuns, but their treatment of the children was generally abhorrent and abusive. Their position as caregivers, especially ones whose religion is theoretically meant to be a safe haven, is alarming.
- Connections between the past and present. Alex isn’t simply researching a 50-year-old cold case; she’s stumbled into a current string of murders, and each of the victims was at Coram House back when everything happened. Did her arrival spur the first kill?
- Slow burn mystery. This novel takes its time unfolding the layers, and while some may not like the pace, I thought it served the type of case well. Alex is looking at something so far back in time, and with so little concrete information, that we get to feel her frustration at trying to find any details that would finally expose the truth.
- Alex Kelley. After losing her husband three years prior and making some major mistakes with her previous book, Alex enters this story feeling rather run-down and faded. But she has such a wry perspective on things, and the story of Tommy sparks a focus and fervor in her. I enjoyed watching her come alive in chasing this story to its final reveal.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
I wasn’t sure about the possible romances that Alex was flirting with…
Ultimately I wanted a bit more to come to light, especially surrounding Tommy.

Final Thoughts
Coram House is a haunting and somber book, where the Vermont winter chill is noticable as you read. And yet Alex’s energy and the tragic mystery surrounding Tommy propel it forward. The details take their time to emerge, with so many contradictions, roadblocks, and odd characters to contend with. But this is a novel that crept under my skin and will stay with me. I look forward to reading more from Bailey Seybolt.

This was an atmospheric read set in an isolated town in the dead of winter where the descriptive writing emits chills through the pages. With interviews of the past residents of a shutdown orphange interspersed throughout, this author created a page-turning mystery that is hard to put down at the end of the night.

This story is an emotional one when you think of so many old orphanges of the past where atrocities occurred, ending in people simply turning their heads the other way. I was surprised to learn that this is a debut. It was written by a confident, talented hand that knew their way with words. The revelations made were surprises every time, and the story was intriguing and well paced. Overall, this was a solid read that I rate three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Atria Books, for this ARC.

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💃🏼 Vibes: Wintry mystery.
📕 If you like ______, you’ll like this: The Lost Girls of Willowbrook; The House Across the Lake
📖/🎧 Read Type: ARC (thank you to @NetGalley, Bailey Seybolt, and Atria Books!)

📆 HAPPY PUB DAY! 📆

Seeking a fresh start after the death of her husband and drama surrounding her recent book, Alex Kelley accepts a ghostwriting gig focused on the history of Coram House, a former orphanage on Lake Champlain. The project forces her to confront the institution’s legacy of abuse and the unsolved 1968 disappearance of nine-year-old Tommy—a boy some say was murdered, ran away, or never existed. As Alex digs into conflicting accounts of what really happened at Coram House, her investigation becomes current when she discovers a woman’s corpse near the lake. Despite police skepticism, Alex believes the death is linked to her own investigation. With more bodies appearing, she races to uncover the entire truth about Coram House before it is too late.

I really enjoyed this! Knowing this story was inspired by the real St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Vermont instantly drew me in, but the winter setting with all those outdoor scenes dialed up the creepy factor. While some of the foreshadowing felt a bit obvious and made a few plot points predictable, the story kept me hooked with plenty of other twists. It’s a super engaging and incredibly atmospheric read overall, perfect if you love dark, twisty mysteries with a true crime adjacent feel! Coram House releases today, April 15.