A review by dalmavatai
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

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. 
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