5.09k reviews for:

The Broken Girls

Simone St. James

4.03 AVERAGE

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Pretty good. Im a journalist though so the main character annoyed me in several ways.
adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

Eff this stupid book. You expect me to believe a Nazi followed a little girl all the way to Vermont to kill her? Or that they just happened to end up in the same town in America?? I can't even remember whether it was presented as coincidence or not. Either way it was effing stupid. Of COURSE the killer was a Nazi.

The resolution of the plot was a little silly, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a good "palate cleanser" type of book; good for those times when you just want an easy page turner that will be engrossing and not require too much of the reader. I think it could make a good movie, too.
adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No

Entertaining, not soul rattling and the WW2 connection felt forced.

Just not written as "sharply" as I had hoped

I could not put this down. Wow.

Vermont, 1950. There’s a place for the girls whom no one wants-—the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too-smart-for-their-own-good. It’s called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it’s located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming—until one of them mysteriously disappears... Vermont, 2014. As much as she’s tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister’s death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister’s boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can’t shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.
When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past—and a voice that won’t be silenced…

This was a really nice, suspenseful, gothic tale. Not exactly what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a haunted ghost story, but the ghost aspect was more of a side story to a murder mystery. I was sad that the ghost story wasn't the main focus, but don't get me wrong. This was a very good book! The writing was solid and the plot kept you guessing all the way til the ending. This was the first time I read something by this author and I really enjoyed it. I would have no problem checking out some of her other work.

I listened to the audio book and I thought the narrator was ok. She had a little bit of a problem where a lot of the characters all kind of sounded the same. So that was a bummer.