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shannananahey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Antisemitism
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, and Child death
sbcrra's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Broken Girls by Simon St. James is about the search for truth even long after everyone else has moved on. It's about found family and the resilience of girls and women who have faced soul-crushing situations but rather than give in, they have fought to stay alive, both figuratively and literally. While a solid read, there were moments where I felt that the main character did not have to work very hard to learn information that was important in advancing the story. There was also the appearance of a character who Fiona meets in the alleyway of a church that I thought was really random. All in all, a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Rape, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Grief, and Suicide attempt
thexwalrus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
simone st. james is an absolutely incredible writer, and all of the things i adored from the sun down motel are just as present here in the broken girls.
the characters in this story are just as loveable and lovely as i expected, and the big cornerstone in this is friendship - sonia, roberta, katie, and cece are brought together by circumstance and end up loving each other as much as one human can love another person. they become a family, and the love between them runs so deep and makes each revelation ache in the best way. while it is a genuinely tense and spooky horror/thriller, it also feels like a love story about enduring friendship.
fiona and her father, malcom, are fiery, passionate characters - while malcom is only tertiary, he brings so much life to every part of the story he touches. fiona's perspective makes each of the people she meets more vibrant than they are to begin with - which is pretty damn vibrant, because st. james is a master at writing great characters. even characters i initially mistrusted end up being ones i opened my heart to - except for that one particular character i won't name because of spoilers. but if you read it, you'll know who i mean.
despite being, in essence, a story about five main characters, this ends up feeling like a visit to a small town where everyone knows everyone and everyone's pleased to see you; it captures the small town new england feel beautifully, and the way it's written feels like a raw, wet day in late autumn in vermont. basically, what i'm saying is it's perfect, and i loved every bit of it. absolutely read this.
the characters in this story are just as loveable and lovely as i expected, and the big cornerstone in this is friendship - sonia, roberta, katie, and cece are brought together by circumstance and end up loving each other as much as one human can love another person. they become a family, and the love between them runs so deep and makes each revelation ache in the best way. while it is a genuinely tense and spooky horror/thriller, it also feels like a love story about enduring friendship.
fiona and her father, malcom, are fiery, passionate characters - while malcom is only tertiary, he brings so much life to every part of the story he touches. fiona's perspective makes each of the people she meets more vibrant than they are to begin with - which is pretty damn vibrant, because st. james is a master at writing great characters. even characters i initially mistrusted end up being ones i opened my heart to - except for that one particular character i won't name because of spoilers. but if you read it, you'll know who i mean.
despite being, in essence, a story about five main characters, this ends up feeling like a visit to a small town where everyone knows everyone and everyone's pleased to see you; it captures the small town new england feel beautifully, and the way it's written feels like a raw, wet day in late autumn in vermont. basically, what i'm saying is it's perfect, and i loved every bit of it. absolutely read this.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, and War
there are descriptions of a Ravensbrück, a concentration camp, and mentions of the torture women went through there, though none are so detailed i would consider them graphic.vanessa1982's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape
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
bringmybooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay, so that was amazing! I started this book on a whim, having previously only read one book by Simone St. James (The Haunting of Maddy Clare, which still has the ability to give me nightmares if I let it) - and then I didn't stop reading it until I finished (Dinner? What's dinner?).
✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I was immersed in this story immediately, and I loved the dual timeline plot device that was used - it kept you totally hooked from the first chapter. The idea of a haunted girls boarding school is so fascinating, because let's face it - if anything was going to be haunted, it would be boarding schools from the 1950s. And the story behind this one was done SO. WELL.
I loved the four girls from the 1950s, and in a weird way I was getting major Now & Then vibes which made me like it all the more (Cece was Chrissy, Katie was Roberta, Roberta was Samantha, and Sonia was Teeny, right???). The bond the girls had was evident in every chapter and even as you knew what was coming (that prologue was no joke) you couldn't help but hope that you were wrong.
That being said, the 2014 timeline was just as intriguing - I loved Fiona as a character and was so invested in the various mysteries she was trying to unravel. And. THE. TWIST.
YUP.
Solid spooky ghost story by an author with an impressive backlist that I will definitely be acquiring!
✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I was immersed in this story immediately, and I loved the dual timeline plot device that was used - it kept you totally hooked from the first chapter. The idea of a haunted girls boarding school is so fascinating, because let's face it - if anything was going to be haunted, it would be boarding schools from the 1950s. And the story behind this one was done SO. WELL.
I loved the four girls from the 1950s, and in a weird way I was getting major Now & Then vibes which made me like it all the more (Cece was Chrissy, Katie was Roberta, Roberta was Samantha, and Sonia was Teeny, right???). The bond the girls had was evident in every chapter and even as you knew what was coming (that prologue was no joke) you couldn't help but hope that you were wrong.
That being said, the 2014 timeline was just as intriguing - I loved Fiona as a character and was so invested in the various mysteries she was trying to unravel. And. THE. TWIST.
YUP.
Solid spooky ghost story by an author with an impressive backlist that I will definitely be acquiring!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape
cassielaj's review
dark
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? It's complicated
4.25
I liked this. I love a ghost story that also exposes the horrors that exist among the living. The concept of Mary showing everyone their fears and horrors was very creepy and compelling, the back and forth between Fiona and the Idlewild girls kept me on my toes, and both of the mysteries had enough twists that I wasn’t always a step ahead. This book has a lot of emotion in it as well, which always improves a mystery in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War
This book discusses the Holocaust and Nazi prison camps.sciencewithkrystal's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
omdenman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, and Antisemitism
libraryghost's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use, Rape, and Forced institutionalization