Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

21 reviews

ldruckreier's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

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. 

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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.

chandle5's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Grief

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

saltycoffee's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death, Hate crime, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

soobooksalot's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

"Mary Hand, Mary Hand, dead and buried under land. She'll say she wants to be your friend. Do not let her in again."
 Spooky October reading excellence!
 I loved Simone St. James's The Sun Down Motel last year so I saved The Broken Girls to enjoy this year's pre-Halloween reading. And it was a total win!
 This is a dual-timeline story, starting in 2014 as freelance journalist Fiona Sheridan prepares to write a story about the renovation of Idlewild Hall, once a boarding school for troubled girls. It's also where Fiona's sister Deb was found murdered 20 years earlier. 
 We are then taken back to 1950, to the heyday of Idlewild and it's students. One of their own disappeared under circumstances never explained. 
 Both timelines include sightings and stories of Mary Hand, a spectre and legend of the area; as well as the real-life horrors of the Ravensbrück women's concentration camp.
 It's a detailed and atmospheric story, one that's easy to get caught up in. The Broken Girls is both a crime thriller and gothic mystery - a great combination! Recommended!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Murder

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

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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

caroljc's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment

a_novel_craving's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Addiction and Child death

kait_sixcrowsbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This was my second book from Simone St. James — my first being The Sun Down Motel — and it blew me away. It threaded together so many different things — the toxic “good ol’ boy” culture within police forces, forced institutionalization, how so very little women and girls are believed are taken seriously — and it did so in such a way that made for a tense, thrilling, ultimately sad read. While the end seemed a bit rushed to me, I believe that the meandering plot before the climax more than made up for it for it.

I definitely recommend this book if you’d be into something that, while spooky sometimes, is mostly a critique on how little thought is given to women and girls and their experiences, both currently and historically.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Murder

colleenward_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

wowza.
I absolutely love when a mystery moves at a pace that you can follow, and actually lets you feel like you can be a detective in the story. Expletives were shouted when my suspicions were confirmed; I love love LOVE when that happens!

I had very little knowledge of the plot when starting this book but quickly became attached to the story of four boarding school girls: Sonia, Katie, CeCe, and Roberta. I also really enjoyed the switching of time periods and the connectedness of everyone living in this little town in Vermont. 

The Broken Girls has a little bit of everything - spook, thrill, mystery - and I’d strongly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an extension of spooky szn right about now!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Gun violence