Alex, a true crime writer, is struggling after the recent death of her husband and her last book flopping. When she is asked to ghost write a book about an orphanage in Burlington, Vermont, she decides this could possibly be a fresh start.

As Alex starts to unravel secrets from the orphanage, a killer seems to be intent on keeping them buried literally and figuratively.

Note, child abuse and some triggers in this book.

Solid 4 🌟

I’ve never been to Burlington, Vermont in the dead of winter but it sure feels like I have🥶The descriptions in this book easily transported me from a beach front property in the Outer Banks to this small town tucked away in the mountains of Vermont. The mystery had me encapsulated and I found myself, like Alex, to be digging for clues the entire time reading this book. If you’re a mood reader I would definitely recommend reading this book on a dark and snowy day, under the blankets, with a hot cup of coffee in your hand.

I loved this book! Knowing nothing about the orphange that the story was based on, I was drawn into the story line immediately. Murder, blackmail and child abuse are covered in this terrifying story about the abuse that childeren suffered in this horrible place. I am going to research the orphange that this was based on and I look forward to reading other books by this author.

This book is truly a "ghost" story going back to the 1950's with the hauntings of the abuse and neglect to children at Coram House. Base loosely on the history of St. Joseph’s Orphanage, As another reviewer mentioned, I took read up on the true history of St. Joseph’s Orphanage and could relate better with the fictional story. Thank you for the advanced read!

This book was weirdly good in a spooky way. It would be good for spooky season . I really enjoyed the creep factor in this one .
Thanks for sharing this story with me to Netgalley and the Publisher.

This was so good! I felt like I was there in the cold, with this overwhelming feeling of unease, waiting to see what would be uncovered next. I love stories like this and trying to figure it out, but the ending surprised me!

This was a very touching story. After the first few chapters I had to pause and research the real story behind St. Joseph’s orphanage which is the real life inspiration for Coram House. I was thoroughly invested. If I had had time to devour this book it would have been a quick read. My two favorite genres are mystery/thrillers and historical fiction so I loved how this felt like both. I definitely recommend this story.

Content warnings: no sexual content, not excessive cursing but still frequent, including many F bombs, trigger warning for the child abuse, both sexual and physical, the children faced in the orphanage.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Coram House
By: Bailey Seybolt

5 Stars

This story will shock and break you. It tells of an orphanage, Coram House, that was a part of some unspeakable things. Abuse, murder, and torture in a home meant to care. This book blended a mix of the new and the old to weave a web of secrets, lies, and murder. When Alex comes to write about Coram House, she knows the past will come to light and wow does it.

This was a well told story that was compelling and shocking. It told of horrors of what power can do. What it can make happen. What it can silence.

This was a well written book. It was a good mix of dramatic and emotional. It was full of danger and mystery that had me guessing till the very end.

And wow, what an ending.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

3.5 stars for this one.
This book was definitely different than what I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be more of a haunted orphanage type setting. But it turned out to be a journalist investigation style book.

The author describes everything with good detail so you can picture what is happening.
One of the things I struggled with is the long chapters and the first half of the book was a little slower than i thought.

However I didn’t see the ending coming at all. That was a twist!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with this arc for an honest review

Thank you, Netgalley & Atria Books, for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

4☆
The story follows writer Alex Kelley, who is contacted to ghostwrite a book about an orphanage from the 1950/60s called Coram House. Coram House was in the public eye in the 1980s after the children who lived there came forwed with their stories of abuse.

The first half of the book took me a while to get through due to the LONG chapters 🥲 and the extensive detail, BUT this did not disappoint!!

For the first time in a while, I was actually satisfied with how the story ended. The way the twist was pieced together at the end had my jaw dropping.

This book was upon based upon a true story which is well captivating in this book. We are introduced to Coram House an orphanage on the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont. Alex is best selling author who is asked to co-writer book for guy named Alan. It seems like Coram House has so much history that no one wants to revive. Upon Alex arrival she is introduce to officer Parker who she rely on while interviewing people who lived in Coram house. I must say the ending is totally shocking it's something you will never see coming. Definitely a must read!

Alex Kelley is a struggling true crime writer who could use a break, which she hopes she has found when asked to ghostwrite a book about an old orphanage in Burlington, Vermont. However, it is not long before she’s thrown into something darker than anticipated in this novel based on the true stories from St. Joseph’s Orphanage.

Bailey Seybolt does a fantastic job of creating an atmospheric mystery. Seybolt’s description of the setting depicts the cold so well that the reader can’t help but feel the desire to burrow into blankets to ward off the chill. The flashbacks and recordings only add to the feeling.

As a protagonist, Alex is compelling. As she is grieving the loss of her husband while simultaneously licking her wounds from her disastrous last novel, her anxiety is palpable. Seybolt intentionally writes Alex as closed off with the feeling that she could crack open at any moment. When she makes regrettable decisions, it reads true rather than as frustrating, which is typically the case.

While the book makes for a great read, the one area where it lets itself down is the ending. There is something about the big reveal that feels like a letdown; the book is so elegantly crafted, and having the ending go the way it does is disappointing. However, it is still an intriguing book and fans of true crime docuseries like The Keepers will enjoy this one.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I’ll admit that this book was a slow burn for me. But once it got going, it literally didn’t stop. At no point did I know what was coming next. From jaw drops, to audible gasps and the unintentional mouth cover, this book had me on the edge of my seat waiting for more. At times I wanted more inserts of the “interviews” but I think now after reading, maybe less is more. This quickly became one of my favorite new books. The only reason I gave it a 4/5 was that, like I said, for me it was a slow burn. If I could rate it from about 30-40% on, no doubt it would be a 5 star read.

Brrrrr…🥶 This was such an atmospheric and vivid read. I totally forgot it’s actually summertime right now !!

I can’t get over this is a debut novel , Bailey Seybolt deserves fireworks in the park for this clever masterpiece!

Read this if you like :
🥶 Journalistic Investigation
🥶 Smart FMC
🥶 Stories inspired by true events
🥶 Atmospheric Reads
🥶 Fast page turner

Alex is crime writer who is a widow who needs a fresh start in life and the perfect story has landed in her lap .

Burlington Vermont and its snow covered ground is embracing for Alex’s 6 month stay that finds herself swaying from the plot and investigating the mystery of two deaths that happened years apart.

The writer takes us on a dark and cold journey and leaves little bread crumbs here and there to keep us digging for more and more to uncover the truths of what happened to young Tommy all those years ago , but Alex Kelley better be careful as she untangles the web and brings the secrets to the surface or she could find herself as the next victim 👀

This was so well done and cleverly written, my only negative is the ending was not as climatic as I was hoping for , but still overall really enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from this author and if this is her debut then watch because Bailey Seybolt is just getting started!!

Side Note this story touches on heavy grief and abuse in orphanages.

Thank you NetGalley , Atria Books and Bailey Seybolt for this ARC !

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

An orphanage in Vermont once run by the Catholic Church, rampant with stories of abuse, and even murder. A down on her luck writer who dives in headfirst, but gets more than she bargained for.

What an outstanding debut novel from Bailey Seybolt! Full of vivid imagery, a captivating setting, and a horrifying story based on a real orphanage. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s summer and I’m not actually there, in the snow, alongside the characters.

I really enjoyed the main character with her dogged nature, so earnest and likeable, dedicated to the truth simply because everyone’s story deserves to be told.

And, my goodness, what a shocking turn of events that launch the mystery of this story down a path that I simply didn’t expect. I felt like I had no idea where this book was going, and I was right alongside every step of the way on the journey.

Ultimately this story captured an essence of the human condition - abuse happens, everyone is carrying layers of hurt and hidden truths, and people get away with unspeakable things.

I truly enjoyed this book and think it’s a strong debut from Seybolt!

I appreciate the note at the end about the real orphanage this story was based on. I’d highly recommend reading more about it. It added an additional layer onto this story for me, causing me to think deeply about our human instinct to take horrible, real stories and find ways to adapt them into fictional versions that are easier to sit with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy! I look forward to grabbing this one for my shelves in April.

Much more than a novel about journalistic investigation this author grabs you with her vivid details, pace, and story, and leaves you immersed in the cold of Burlington and Alex’s determination to find the truth.
This is a book with depth and character, and deals with the subject matter with care as it explores the far reaching effects of abuse and grief.

I had a difficult time with the writing in this novel. Some chapters of the book were wonderful and others felt like they were written by another author (stiff and/or juvenile dialogue). Not sure what happened here.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214151953

This was my first book by this author and I really liked it. I loved how the story unfolded and how she made me feel like I was the one trying to figure out this story. The different characters were all important pieces in the story and the twist was one that I did not predict. I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong! I would definitely recommend this one and look forward to more from Bailey Seybolt!

First of all, a moment for this cover, which is stunning. The beautiful visual, paired with the compelling premise, immediately grabbed my attention. And while the writing is strong, the story ended up being much darker than I expected. (Yes, even after reading that premise.) The beginning especially details horrible things in such a straightforward manner that it just made me too sad to keep reading.

This book wasn't a fit for me, but I'm sure there are other readers out there who get keep going past the tough parts. I'm just not one of them.