Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

14 reviews

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 There is a lot in this book -- mystery, paranormal activity, historical references to the Holocaust and Ravensbrück, murder, attempted murder, dual timelines, multiple narrators.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.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Stalking, Sexual assault, and Genocide

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.

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

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Genocide, Torture, and Panic attacks/disorders

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

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Content Warnings

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

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

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

Minor: Antisemitism

pibblemama97'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

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Content Warnings

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

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Sexism, and Death

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

beccam22's review

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 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Eating disorder, 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.

 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Rape, and Toxic relationship

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

cassielaj's review against another edition

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: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and Grief

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Mental illness, Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Rape, War, and Violence

This book discusses the Holocaust and Nazi prison camps.