Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

18 reviews

sandysmith'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm gradually adding books I've read in 2021 to give a true reflection of the books I've read since keeping records.  This was the first book I read in 2021, and is what kick-started my reading journey having put reading on the back burner whilst bringing up the children, previously being an avid reader.  It's a modern ghost story, switching between school girls at a boarding school in the 1950's and 2014, a journalist looking for answers concerning the death of her sister on the same boarding school site, Idlewild Hall. Journalist Fiona Sheridan and the school girls CeCe, Katie, Sonia and Roberta, and the ghost Mary Hand. I'm not really into ghost stories but I liked it never the less and I'm glad I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Child death, Sexual assault, Murder, Addiction, Death, and Rape

colourado's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Murder, Antisemitism, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and War

lampbee's review

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. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Confinement, Police brutality, Addiction, Antisemitism, Genocide, 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.

ajay913's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Antisemitism

Minor: War and Addiction

matcha_cat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, and Antisemitism

Minor: Addiction, Infidelity, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Torture, Child death, Rape, Death, Hate crime, and Medical content

alliedelexa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.0

my first book by Simone St. James and it didn’t disappoint. admittedly, it took me 3/4 of the book to really get invested. i enjoyed the dual timelines and the ending. i could’ve done without the love story because they generally feel forced but i understand the need to entangle the past with the present in this book. i found all the flashbacks incredibly interesting and i always looked forward to those point of views. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Antisemitism, and Child abuse

Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, Hate crime, Cursing, Murder, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief

lauramparis's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Suicide attempt, Violence, Addiction, Rape, Death of parent, and Genocide

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, Murder, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Confinement, Sexism, Antisemitism, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny

Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, and Drug use

ylienna's review

dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Antisemitism

Minor: Addiction

shannananahey's review

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Death, Misogyny, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual violence, Bullying, Drug use, Drug abuse, Antisemitism, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Cancer, Body shaming, and Child death