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dalmavatai's review
adventurous
challenging
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? No
This book was a great mystery with memorable characters. I especially enjoyed Katie, Cece, Roberta and Sonya as characters, I really loved their friendship and how they try to navigate life in a girls' boarding school in the 1950s while also having to deal with the trauma of abandonment as well as other traumas that they gradually open up to each other about. It was such a joy to see them find friendship, love, and trust through each other, things that they had never encountered in life before.
The present timeline was also entertaining, I enjoyed Fiona's investigation and her efforts to uncover what happened to Sonya as well as her own sister Deb. I didn't connect with her or care about her as much as I did about the girls in the past timeline, but I did enjoy the amateur sleuth trope, I love when a character is investigating a mystery and has to talk to people, question them, uncover documents, etc.
The ending was a bit anticlimactic for me, I expected the twists to be more shocking and satisfying in wrapping up the story. I still liked them, though, I did not see them coming and one was especially interesting.
Overall, a dark, tense, emotional read with lovable characters and an engaging investigation. A memorable read even if I was a bit let down by the ending.
The present timeline was also entertaining, I enjoyed Fiona's investigation and her efforts to uncover what happened to Sonya as well as her own sister Deb. I didn't connect with her or care about her as much as I did about the girls in the past timeline, but I did enjoy the amateur sleuth trope, I love when a character is investigating a mystery and has to talk to people, question them, uncover documents, etc.
The ending was a bit anticlimactic for me, I expected the twists to be more shocking and satisfying in wrapping up the story. I still liked them, though, I did not see them coming and one was especially interesting.
Overall, a dark, tense, emotional read with lovable characters and an engaging investigation. A memorable read even if I was a bit let down by the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Antisemitism, Genocide, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, and War
Minor: Blood and Grief
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Murder, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
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: Death, Child death, Murder, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Addiction
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Drug use
theidlereader's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
kostyalya's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
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