Absolutely insane. I was reading the last 5% while I was subbing a fifth grade class and my jaw literally dropped. This was INCREDIBLE.

Living in Vermont during the period of time the task force was formally investigating the claims made in Christine Kenneally’s Buzzfeed article, and the subsequent restorative justice inquiry, I am no stranger to the events that inspired Coram House. I had mixed feelings going into this book about Seybolt’s fictionalization of the very real events and survivors of St. Joseph’s Orphanage, but I was pleasantly surprised with her handling of the subject matter. Seybolt crafts her story sensitively, consistently centering the children of “Coram House” throughout. Books often serve as a gateway, encouraging readers to seek out the real life events behind a story, and my hope is Seybolt’s novel will encourage her readers to do the same. It’s atmospheric, well-written, informative, emotional, and heartbreaking.

I highly encourage anyone interested in learning more about St. Joseph’s Orphanage, the survivors, and the restorative justice process to visit www.stjosephsrjinquiry.com, where you can hear firsthand accounts of survivors thanks to oral histories recorded and preserved by the Vermont Folklife Center.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story. It felt a bit slow in parts and I found some of the characters felt like they were just a filler but not really needed. The backstory of the orphanage was really interesting. I wish it was more to do about that then Alex’s journey into writing about it. I found the background was the most interesting part of the book tbh. But if you want a good mystery with a few good twists I would definitely recommend reading this one.

Interesting story that is filled with anecdotes that highlight the complexity of human nature and thought-provoking reflections on morality. While I appreciated these aspects, the pacing felt slow at times, and certain sections dragged. It took me much longer to finish than most books, as it struggled to fully capture my attention or provide the kind of immersive escape I typically look for in a read.

I have been asked to ghostwrite a book about an orphanage and what happened there even though my first book was not a success?

Alex always had an interest in history and researching.

Researching Coram House about the abuse and specifically the drowning of Tommy, a child at the orphanage, and Sarah who was pushed out of a window, was difficult with no one wanting to give out much information when interviewed.

Based on a true story, Alex delves into what really happened to Tommy and Sarah, and then a body and another body is found.

What do these two incidents have in common?

Is this death connected to Tommy's all those years ago and Alex’s “digging?”

It looks as if writing a book is turning into everyone who is being investigated turning up murdered.

Will she be able to write this book or will she be the next body to be found?

Is she getting too close to what really happened with all the people she is researching?

Well written, engaging, and heartbreaking, Coram House is an outstanding debut with its detail and storyline.

A good twist at the end. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Coram House
2.5 ⭐️

Alex needs a new project after the loss of her husband. She takes on a ghostwriter job about an abusive orphanage in the 60s. As she digs into details of the abuse, other tragedies arrive - including murder.

What I liked: the premise of the story, the aspect of finding justice for victims.

What I struggled with: Disjointed language with random phrases thrown in. Too many analogies.
Main Character is extremely self deprecating and hard to connect with, you also didn’t get enough of the side characters to bond with them either.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

slowburn and pretty good book with some strong thrillery aspects and some good intrigue. would recommen.d 4 stars. tysm for thea rc.

I saw some great reviews of this, and the synopsis sounded amazing! Keep in mind it’s listed as General Fiction & Women’s Fiction on NetGalley, not Mystery & Thriller. So keep that in mind if you choose to pick it up.

📖: Author Alex Kelley has a new project in the works. She left her home in NYC to investigate and write about the history of Coram House, an orphanage in Vermont. As she digs into her research, she has more questions than answers about what happened to the children of Coram House, especially a boy named Tommy who some say was drowned, some say ran away, and others say never existed at all.

🤝: This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
books about orphanages with a sketchy past
authors digging into cold cases
slower burn, more emotional suspense

💭: This was a slower burn for me, but the creepy orphanage concept kept me turning pages. At first I didn’t love the major “whodunnit” reveal, but after some thought I think the emotional piece made sense and was quite heartbreaking.

Note: I’m not usually one to nitpick or be overly dramatic about a line in a book, but I didn’t appreciate a line that compared a police officer’s gun to a pit bull, calling it “ugly and threatening”. Ick. Not necessary. After last November, I committed to speaking up more. Here’s a small step.

RATING: I liked it! (3.5 rounded up)

Pub Day: April 15th, 2025

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook early in exchange for an honest review!

2⭐️

I really wanted to love this book because the plot seemed intriguing. However, I wasn’t a fan of the way the story was told. A majority of the book described the scenery and setting more than focusing on the plot. This made it really hard to get through and felt super slow. The ending was good but I didn’t care too much for the beginning or middle.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While a slow start the ending was unexpected in the best way. Character development was great as well as the plot. I wish it wouldn’t have taken so many chapters to pick up and get super interesting but I understand why it was written that way. Others may be able to jump right in and finish it within one sitting. While it took me a few days in a few different sessions. The twists were well placed and I never once figured them out. I would love a second book to see how the main character handles her future but I understand if there isn’t one in the works. The book is complete without a second one.

Inspired by a chilling true story, CORAM HOUSE explores the pitch black history of an orphanage, the terrible aftershocks of its hauntings, and the writer ready to unbury the house's past as it prepares for a new future.

TRUE DETECTIVE meets DOUBT in CORAM HOUSE, the debut novel by Bailey Seybolt. Nestled near Burlington Vermont lies a disused orphanage, where rumors of abusive clergy have been rife throughout the years. When the secrets come to life, the orphanage is closed, settlements are made, and depositions are poured over as one true crime writer, Alex Kelley, is hired to tell the full story of this horrible home once and for all. Only, Alex keeps getting stuck on one line in a single deposition: Apparently, a young boy named Tommy drowned on the property fifty years ago, and no one wants to talk about it. Was anyone involved? Are they still alive? Did Tommy ever exist? As Alex is hired to tell the story of Coram House for a new audience, she realizes she's being asked to tell a specific story, one she increasingly thinks is not the whole truth.

CORAM HOUSE is inspired by the true horrors of the St. Joseph's Orphanage in Burlington and, as such, its almost unfortunate how believable the crimes on the page feel to the reader. Leveraging artifacts and interviews, author Seybolt tells a story with the depth of a mystery and the pacing of a thriller, the best of both worlds. Alex, recovering from her own grief, does suffer at times from "don't do it, you know better!" syndrome, which, let's face it, don't we all! Perhaps the biggest accomplishment here is the buildout of Coram House's nefarious history and the way the community buries it where it can. It feels like everyone is both hero and villain in this story, reflecting the too often reality, even in moments of crime. A well-researched, well-plotted mystery with a lot to say and much to enjoy.

3.5⭐️

Alex is a best-selling, now disgraced, author who has come by some hard times and is ghost writing a book about Coram House, an orphanage with lots of history of abuse. She is working with a district attorney who was involved in the original investigation into the crimes at Coram House. Alex is interested in a story of a boy named Tommy who supposedly died at Coram House, despite her co-authors objection to including the subject in the book. Against his wishes, Alex takes it upon herself to dig for more information.


If you’re looking for a quick-moving, action-packed thriller, this is definitely not that book. It’s much more of a slow burn mystery. I usually prefer books more like the former description, but I did enjoy Coram House. There are a lot of heavy themes in this book which also contributed to the slow pace. I was surprised by the twist at the end! Overall this is a good slow-burn mystery book.

Thank you Atria Books for the copy of Coram House by Bailey Seybolt. You know that feeling when you start reading a book and are immediately captivated? That’s what happened with this book. What an amazing debut novel! I loved Alex’s story - a crime writer whose last book was discredited tries to redeem herself by taking on a true crime ghostwriter job. I loved the characters, both loveable and hateable. I hate when a character is called by their surname and is suddenly referred to by their first name. Pick a name and stick to it! I loved the story and how Alex researched the history of the house and its residents. I’m not sure I loved the big reveal at the end, were there enough clues for me to have figured it out? I still enjoyed the immersive read though. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I have a mixed review on this one, learning about the Coram House and the misconduct by the staff and unfortunately the long-standing effects this had on the children as they grew into adults was one storyline. What I didn’t realize it was going to go into a mystery of a serial killer that was murdering people with some sort of past with the Coram House.
Alex turned into a super sleuth instead of just a ghost writer. You have to pay attention with multiple characters, twists and turns, and the ending was a bit of a surprise.
I received an ARC from Atria Books and NetGalley for my unbiased review. Comes in with four stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon and Schuster for this copy of "Coram House."

Debut novelist Seybolt creates a suspenseful, twisty, cold and icy! mystery that's heartbreaking yet redemptive. "It [Coram House] becomes a part of you. And sometimes I worry you pass it on."

Alex is a true crime writer who has been hired to ghostwrite a story of a haunted orphanage, the abusive clergy who ran it, and the legal case that was settled in the 1980's.

It's compellingly written with Alex reading transcripts of the children's depositions describing abuse labeled as discipline and one chilling account of a child's murder which was dismissed as fanciful at the time.

But Coram House is being renovated and developed into luxury condominiums by some local residents, who were also orphans at Coram House years ago. What truths do they want to keep hidden?

What an amazing story from author Bailey Seybolt. I was left wondering where the book would go but with every twist and turn I was left with my jaw on the floor. Highly recommend this book!

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC of this novel.

I really enjoy detective/true crime thrillers with a bit of historical fiction thrown in. I loved the wintery vibes of this book. It was the perfect read for January. The character development was great and I loved how creepy and unreliable everyone in the story was.

Sometimes the main character got on my nerves. I’m not always the fan of a character who seems to spend the whole book feeling sorry for herself and I felt those vibes throughout the book.

I also found the book a little slow moving in the middle but the ending I didn’t see coming and I love when that happens.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.

4.25/5 stars rounded down to 4 for this review.

1968: Tommy, a young boy at an orphanage goes out onto a lake just to never come back. Sarah tries to tell what happened, but no one believes her. It will become a cold case.

Alex, struggling true crime writer has taken on a new project. What was once called Coram House Orphanage is getting a new look. The lawsuits and crimes attached to the house have a story that need to be told. Alex will join the community and try to find out exactly what happened fifty years ago. Along the way she discovers a missing boy, Tommy. He seems to be a ghost in the story, once Alex starts connecting dots she is left with more questions that answers. The deeper in the project Alex gets the higher the body count becomes. Someone in the small Virginia town is tying up loose ends. Will Alex be the one who breaks the story or just another loose end?

Coram House takes you on a solid ride built on atmosphere and unreliable characters. The chilly, winter landscape makes for a creepy backdrop. This will be an excellent read for true crime lovers who are looking for a great story. Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the advanced copy of this book.

Okay, so like, this book totally had me hooked with its creepy, wintry vibes and the whole “mystery at a crumbling orphanage” thing. It starts with a crime writer trying to bounce back from a career flop by investigating this super shady orphanage where dark stuff went down decades ago. Like, hello, instant drama! The whole missing-kid-meets-dead-bodies-in-the-lake thing? Major chills. ❄️

The way the story unravelled was, like, slow but still kept me flipping pages. It’s a bit of a thinker, ya know? And while I really wanted a big, jaw-dropping twist at the end, it didn’t totally land that way for me. But the atmospheric writing? Spot on. It’s like you could feel the icy Vermont air while reading.

Definitely worth a read if you're into moody, true crime-ish mysteries with a touch of “is this a conspiracy or nah?” vibes. Just a heads-up—there’s some heavy stuff here, so brace yourself for that.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion 💕

Alex is a writer who is currently dealing with the loss of her husband and a disastrous last book. She is tasked with ghost writing a book about an orphanage where horrible crimes were committed against children.
This book was more of a mystery than a thriller and a slow burn at that. The ending really picked up and I enjoyed how everything was wrapped up.
Everyone has secrets and reasons for keeping them and this author did an excellent job of character development. I also loved the setting! Great read and I look forward to more by this author.