Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

24 reviews

boba_n_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This was my second Simone St. James novel, and I enjoyed it quite a bit! I did prefer The Sun Down Motel, but this was still a worthwhile read. 

Written in a dual timeline, The Broken Girls tells the story of Vermont in the 1950s as well as in 2014. In the 50s, we follow four girls who were sent to Idlewild Hall--a boarding school for "troubled" girls. Each girl has their own struggles and reasons for ending up at Idlewild, and they come together to support each other and protect themselves until one of them goes missing. In 2014, Fiona is a journalist whose sister's body was dumped near Idlewild Hall years ago. Her sister's murderer has been in jail for quite some time, but Fiona wonders if there isn't more to the story. At the same time, someone is trying to restore Idlewild Hall, for reasons Fiona could never imagine, as she has heard nothing but horror stories from that school. Fiona discovers long-forgotten secrets of the school that tie back to her sister, and she will stop at nothing to find the truth and justice for the living and the dead. 

I love how St. James creates dual timelines that slowly begin to relate to each other and reveal more as you continue reading. I thought the four girls from the 1950s were better characters than Fiona from 2014, though I did still appreciate her motivations and character development. 

This well-written mystery/thriller will keep you on your toes and make you think about what you consider "justice."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, Child death, and Sexual harassment

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Rape

Minor: Pregnancy and Suicide attempt

exlibrissum's review

dark medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Murder, Police brutality, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, and Suicide attempt

karenschlesser's review against another edition

mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying and Grief

dalek_caan's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I found the plot of this book to be really well executed. I did not expect that it would have quite so many layers as it did, I really enjoyed this author's method of storytelling. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Confinement, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Antisemitism, Gun violence, Child abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Mental illness

Minor: War and Violence

aliteracja's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Murder, Grief, Death, Child death, and War

Minor: Antisemitism and Suicide attempt

pibblemama97's review

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

alsndra's review

dark mysterious sad 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

- Starts off slow, but the pace picks up almost half way through.
- I found the chapters set in the 1950s to be more interesting than the chapters set in 2014. This was because I wanted to know more about the girls than Fiona and her life. 
- I liked the elements of the paranormal, it definitely added some eeriness and mystery to the school setting.
- Wasn’t a fan of all the leads and names I had to keep up with and remember. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Police brutality, Death, Genocide, and Grief

Moderate: Antisemitism, Death, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual assault

alliedelexa's review

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

haleybre's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Suicide attempt, War, Genocide, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Grief, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence