Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
An old orphanage sitting on a lakeside cliff and a true crime writer tasked with ghost-writing the events that took place there - seems straightforward enough until the bodies start to fall.
"You can leave Coram House but you can't leave it behind."
CORAM HOUSE by Bailey Seybolt is a debut that has all of the elements of a fantastic atmospheric thriller, but they were laid out in a way that didn't fully make it so.
Starting with the good (the great, even!) - I really loved the police transcripts that flashed back to Coram House and the kids that saw and experienced dreadful acts there. They added a fast pace to a story that often dragged, and added extra characterization (if shallow) to an otherwise single narrator-forward story.
The atmosphere surrounding this small Vermont town with a sordid history was eerie and extremely cold and I enjoyed seeing the lake play as big a role in this story as it did!
What didn't really work for me as hinted at above was the decision-making behind our main character and how her choices felt entitled, while slowing the story down immensely. Alex has obviously been through some stuff, but she very much had that "outsider coming in to shake things up" feel to her while everyone around her seemed to also fall in love with her?!
I genuinely think this story could have hit harder for me if the protagonist was stronger.
Either way, I'm intrigued to see what Seybolt's sophomore novel offers up!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review - out now!
"You can leave Coram House but you can't leave it behind."
CORAM HOUSE by Bailey Seybolt is a debut that has all of the elements of a fantastic atmospheric thriller, but they were laid out in a way that didn't fully make it so.
Starting with the good (the great, even!) - I really loved the police transcripts that flashed back to Coram House and the kids that saw and experienced dreadful acts there. They added a fast pace to a story that often dragged, and added extra characterization (if shallow) to an otherwise single narrator-forward story.
The atmosphere surrounding this small Vermont town with a sordid history was eerie and extremely cold and I enjoyed seeing the lake play as big a role in this story as it did!
What didn't really work for me as hinted at above was the decision-making behind our main character and how her choices felt entitled, while slowing the story down immensely. Alex has obviously been through some stuff, but she very much had that "outsider coming in to shake things up" feel to her while everyone around her seemed to also fall in love with her?!
I genuinely think this story could have hit harder for me if the protagonist was stronger.
Either way, I'm intrigued to see what Seybolt's sophomore novel offers up!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review - out now!
medium-paced
I have been asked to ghostwrite a book about an orphanage and what happened there even though my first book was not a success?
Alex always had an interest in history and researching.
Researching Coram House about the abuse and specifically the drowning of Tommy, a child at the orphanage, and Sarah who was pushed out of a window, was difficult with no one wanting to give out much information when interviewed.
Based on a true story, Alex delves into what really happened to Tommy and Sarah, and then a body and another body is found.
What do these two incidents have in common?
Is this death connected to Tommy's all those years ago and Alex’s “digging?”
It looks as if writing a book is turning into everyone who is being investigated turning up murdered.
Will she be able to write this book or will she be the next body to be found?
Is she getting too close to what really happened with all the people she is researching?
Well written, engaging, and heartbreaking, Coram House is an outstanding debut with its detail and storyline.
A good twist at the end. 5/5
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Alex always had an interest in history and researching.
Researching Coram House about the abuse and specifically the drowning of Tommy, a child at the orphanage, and Sarah who was pushed out of a window, was difficult with no one wanting to give out much information when interviewed.
Based on a true story, Alex delves into what really happened to Tommy and Sarah, and then a body and another body is found.
What do these two incidents have in common?
Is this death connected to Tommy's all those years ago and Alex’s “digging?”
It looks as if writing a book is turning into everyone who is being investigated turning up murdered.
Will she be able to write this book or will she be the next body to be found?
Is she getting too close to what really happened with all the people she is researching?
Well written, engaging, and heartbreaking, Coram House is an outstanding debut with its detail and storyline.
A good twist at the end. 5/5
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Alex is a crime writer with a complicated past. She had great success with her first novel and the second one was a huge failure. This and other things in her life have caused her to really stumble in going any further. Then she is contacted to ghost write a novel about The Coram House Orphanage and all that took place there, including a 50 year old case that hasn't been solved. She gives up her life and moves to Vermont, hoping this will be just what her career needs. Coram House is a character all in itself, gothic and creepy, and really sets the tone for the story. It's also set deep in Winter which also adds another layer of gloom and eeriness. She starts to uncover all of the terrible things that happened in the past and how they are weaving their way into the present. The author really gives you that sense of foreboding and you find yourself just waiting for something bad to happen. It's a pretty slow burn, but I was drawn into the story and couldn't look away. There were quite a few surprises along the way that I definitely didn't see coming.
I think that Bailey Seybolt is a debut author to watch and I can't wait to see what she writes in the future. I was also quite interested to learn that even though this was a work of fiction, that it was based on stories from an actual orphanage, St. Joseph's in Vermont. It's pretty horrific what has been done to vulnerable children who were supposedly being helped by these places.
Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this #gifted copy. Published 04/15/2025. If you like a creepy, atmospheric mystery, give this one a try!
I think that Bailey Seybolt is a debut author to watch and I can't wait to see what she writes in the future. I was also quite interested to learn that even though this was a work of fiction, that it was based on stories from an actual orphanage, St. Joseph's in Vermont. It's pretty horrific what has been done to vulnerable children who were supposedly being helped by these places.
Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this #gifted copy. Published 04/15/2025. If you like a creepy, atmospheric mystery, give this one a try!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Coram House was the type of thriller I am drawn to- a slow burn true crime that has a mystery someone is trying to uncover.
Overall, I felt this one was pretty engaging and interesting! It definitely is a slower pace for a thriller but I still didn’t want to stop reading. While I found the MC annoying, it didn’t make me not want to read the book. I kinda guessed parts of the ending but was surprised by several aspects of it. I enjoyed the writing and was surprised when I saw it was a debut!
I am excited to see what the author comes out with next- overall a good debut!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
fast-paced
I still can’t believe this book was a debut. It’s writing with such poise and amazing talent. This is one of the best books I have read so far in 2025. This book is told in the unique format of police interviews/transcripts.
Coram House draws readers into a compelling mystery that skillfully intertwines past and present, uncovering the hidden darkness of a former orphanage once run by the church. Set within the eerie remains of the now-deserted institution, Seybolt explores the inner lives of characters still haunted by their childhood experiences. The story follows Alex, who takes on the emotionally charged task of ghostwriting for a lawyer representing former residents in a lawsuit against the church. This premise becomes a powerful vehicle for unraveling the disturbing history of Coram House—a place once seen as a sanctuary, now steeped in pain and abandonment. Through unsettling depositions and testimonies, Alex uncovers a grim reality of abuse and neglect. The tension builds as the possibility of a child's death by drowning emerges, along with the mystery of a boy who may never have existed at all. This uncertainty adds depth and suspense, raising thought-provoking questions about memory, truth, and the narratives—personal or collective—that shape our understanding of the past.
I love that there were characters that you rooted for and characters that gave you the creeps. There are characters you wanted more of and some characters you couldn’t wait till they got off the page. I am going to highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a whodunnit.
Coram House draws readers into a compelling mystery that skillfully intertwines past and present, uncovering the hidden darkness of a former orphanage once run by the church. Set within the eerie remains of the now-deserted institution, Seybolt explores the inner lives of characters still haunted by their childhood experiences. The story follows Alex, who takes on the emotionally charged task of ghostwriting for a lawyer representing former residents in a lawsuit against the church. This premise becomes a powerful vehicle for unraveling the disturbing history of Coram House—a place once seen as a sanctuary, now steeped in pain and abandonment. Through unsettling depositions and testimonies, Alex uncovers a grim reality of abuse and neglect. The tension builds as the possibility of a child's death by drowning emerges, along with the mystery of a boy who may never have existed at all. This uncertainty adds depth and suspense, raising thought-provoking questions about memory, truth, and the narratives—personal or collective—that shape our understanding of the past.
I love that there were characters that you rooted for and characters that gave you the creeps. There are characters you wanted more of and some characters you couldn’t wait till they got off the page. I am going to highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a whodunnit.