Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

15 reviews

lindzboots's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

That was exquisite. So intriguing, so unsettling and disturbing, so excellent. The characters were all detailed and wonderful (or infuriating, depending, or both), the plot and the mystery so well-crafted, and the atmosphere incredibly creepy. The writing was absolutely wonderful - perfectly descriptive and constantly evoking just the right images and emotions. Really, really well done. The perfect read for spooky season or the early part of winter! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Xenophobia

Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Classism

imfixintoread's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I could not put this book down! There is a lot in this book -- mystery, paranormal activity, historical references to the Holocaust and Ravensbrück, murder, attempted murder, dual timelines, multiple narrators. And yet, Simone St. James absolutely nails this. It was incredibly well written and one of those books that I'll think about for a long time. There were a few times where the hair stood up on the back of my neck. Truly a great read.   

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Murder

Moderate: Genocide, Sexual assault, and Stalking

lampbee's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I like her books. Ghost mysteries sound stupid on paper but the way she does them makes them entertaining :) It wrapped up so well in a way I wasn’t necessarily expecting but one that was satisfying. Vivid imagery and solid characterization of what a girls school is like. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Torture, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Genocide, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and War

Obviously a lot of the book centers around how one of the school girls

was put into Ravensbruck for aiding her mother in the allied resistance of France

Her description is moderately graphic , there really should be a

holocaust content warning option

Also I walked into it thinking there would be copaganda but it was actually in the reverse which was crucial to liking the book.

chris_reads's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

Moderate: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Torture

Minor: Sexual content

eisenbuns's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Major antisemitism, spoiler locked here (it spoils the mystery):

The crux of the historical mystery revolves around the murder of a young holocaust survivor by a former nazi guard from the concentration camp where she was imprisoned. Sorry for spoiling it but there was no good way to warn you about the content.

genevieveokeeffe's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Antisemitism

rescuemama97's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War

bookcheshirecat's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

“That was what the books did—they turned off your thinking for you, put their thoughts in your head so you wouldn't have your own.”

➽ I'm on a mission to read all of Simone St. James' books, as they never miss! The Broken Girls is another one of her stories, that is told in dual timelines. In 2014 we follow Fiona, a journalist who couldn't let go of her sister's death even though they convicted the murderer. Since Idlewild Hall, a former boarding school, is being restored, she decides to dive deeper into its history. Back in 1950, Idlewild Hall was a place for troublemaker girls that no one else wanted and we follow a group of girls who are there for various reasons. I really liked how both timelines intersected, as Fiona tries to learn more about what happened back then and how it could be connected to her sister's murder!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, and Police brutality

Minor: Genocide, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Torture, and War

beccam22's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Read this if you like:
🕰 Actually good dual timelines 
👯‍♀️ Close friend groups
🔪 who done it 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Confinement, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism

kimbekaw's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

On the supernatural element of the book:

Very little point to the ghost, "Mary Hand". She only served as a "spook factor". The book could have easily been written without the supernatural element and have been just as impactful. It had nearly no bearing on the story at all, other than to create the spooky atmosphere of a haunted boarding school.

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Antisemitism, and Classism