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cegerton's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A tender tale of a woman's love for her sister and girl's love for their friends. Not the most challenging book but definitely worth the read if you are into gothic type horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Murder
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Finished reading: January 15th 2025
"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 a fan of Simone St. James' writing and I love a good historical gothic thriller, so I'm honestly still not sure why it took me this long to actually pick up my copy of The Broken Girls. I'm definitely kicking myself now though, because while not my absolute favorite story written by her, I still ended up having an excellent time reading it. This book uses a dual timeline structure, switching between 1950 with four different POVs and 2014 with one POV. I personally did feel we didn't need the POVs of all four girls in the 1950s timeline; it made it harder to connect to them and I would have much preferred a focus on just one or two of the girls instead. That said, I did enjoy the 1950 timeline with the school setting and the paranormal/gothic/ghost element is well incorporated. I confess that ghost stories don't always work well for me, but I really like what this element added in The Broken Girls. The 2014 timeline focuses on Fiona, who is a journalist with a complicated past. It did take me some time to warm up to her and she could get frustrating at times, but I liked the investigation into Idlewild and the way certain facts were slowly revealed. The two timelines are initially only connected by location rather than the characters, but everything comes together in the end. I did see some of the twists coming, but there were also a couple surprises and as a whole I really enjoyed my time with this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
luluhasnolife's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Sorry English isn’t my first language
So I apologize in advance
It is incredible, I stayed all night reading this book. They are some heavy topics in this book but they are never full on detailed about it, I would keep this in mind if you are easily triggered about the tags warned…because those are the main one that are briefly discussed.
Another thing I want to point out in my rating about diversity, this book has characters with incredibly different backgrounds and personalities it’s magnificent but all of them are white if I recall, that’s why I put it’s complicated. It makes sense that they are all white but still.
Now positive!
I love how they brought actual historical events into this book, it made it feel more realistic
The whole ghost thing without spoilers is so juicy and sad at the same time. It keep me on my toes ngl, my dog moved and I would get startled
Some books can’t don’t time skips and changing pov but this author does an incredible job at it this.
The way there’s always sudden hints and foreshadowing in this book ties everything up in a beautiful bow
So I apologize in advance
It is incredible, I stayed all night reading this book. They are some heavy topics in this book but they are never full on detailed about it, I would keep this in mind if you are easily triggered about the tags warned…because those are the main one that are briefly discussed.
Another thing I want to point out in my rating about diversity, this book has characters with incredibly different backgrounds and personalities it’s magnificent but all of them are white if I recall, that’s why I put it’s complicated. It makes sense that they are all white but still.
Now positive!
I love how they brought actual historical events into this book, it made it feel more realistic
The whole ghost thing without spoilers is so juicy and sad at the same time. It keep me on my toes ngl, my dog moved and I would get startled
Some books can’t don’t time skips and changing pov but this author does an incredible job at it this.
The way there’s always sudden hints and foreshadowing in this book ties everything up in a beautiful bow
Content Warnings
Minor: Hate crime, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Murder
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!
➽ 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
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? No
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
Told in dual timelines, The Broken Girls is the story of four best friends at a remote boarding school for troubled teens, and a journalist trying to learn buried details of her sister’s murder.
I love a good ghost story, and Simone St. James writes some of the best. The Sun Down Motel remains one of my all time favorites thrillers, and I really enjoyed The Book of Cold Cases earlier this year, so I was super excited to get my hands on The Broken Girls this spooky season. Overall I really enjoyed it—the themes of female friendship and empowerment were really meaningful to me, and I particularly loved the underlying message about the importance of telling stories and not erasing women’s trauma.
I will say that I ultimately wanted a little more from the plot, which sometimes felt a bit disconnected to me, and I wish there had been a bigger twist or two. Still, the creepy boarding school vibes and hauntingly (pun very intended) beautiful writing definitely make this a top notch recommendation for this time of year!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: ghost stories; stories about uncovering and healing from trauma; dual timeline thrillers
CW: Death/murder/attempted murder (including of a child); grief; sexual assault/rape; traumatic brain injury; mentions of anti-semitism/Nazism/concentration camps; mentions of PTSD/suicide/suicide attempt; miscarriage/stillbirth.
Told in dual timelines, The Broken Girls is the story of four best friends at a remote boarding school for troubled teens, and a journalist trying to learn buried details of her sister’s murder.
I love a good ghost story, and Simone St. James writes some of the best. The Sun Down Motel remains one of my all time favorites thrillers, and I really enjoyed The Book of Cold Cases earlier this year, so I was super excited to get my hands on The Broken Girls this spooky season. Overall I really enjoyed it—the themes of female friendship and empowerment were really meaningful to me, and I particularly loved the underlying message about the importance of telling stories and not erasing women’s trauma.
I will say that I ultimately wanted a little more from the plot, which sometimes felt a bit disconnected to me, and I wish there had been a bigger twist or two. Still, the creepy boarding school vibes and hauntingly (pun very intended) beautiful writing definitely make this a top notch recommendation for this time of year!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: ghost stories; stories about uncovering and healing from trauma; dual timeline thrillers
CW: Death/murder/attempted murder (including of a child); grief; sexual assault/rape; traumatic brain injury; mentions of anti-semitism/Nazism/concentration camps; mentions of PTSD/suicide/suicide attempt; miscarriage/stillbirth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
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
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