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    The Broken Girls
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    The Broken Girls
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    The Broken Girls
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Broken Girls

    Written by Simone St. James

    Narrated by Rebecca Lowman

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The "clever and wonderfully chilling" (Fiona Barton) suspense novel from the award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare...

    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...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 20, 2018
    ISBN9780525531067
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Broken Girls

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      3.5 stars

      The Broken Girls follows two separate timelines, one being the story of four girls attending a boarding school called Idlewild in 1950, a haunted place in the literal sense of the word, though it applies figuratively as well — Idlewild is for girls deemed to be problems, which translated from fifties-speak means they all endured traumas during a time when there were really no other systems in place to allow for these "problems" to be dealt with other than to send them away in shame. Then we have Fiona in 2014, a journalist whose sister was murdered twenty years ago, her body found on the defunct Idlewild grounds. When Fiona learns that the school is to be renovated and reopened, she begins to cover the story and delve into both her sister's murder and the history of the school. Threading through both of these timelines is the ghost of Mary Hand, said to be a girl who died where Idlewild stands.

      I would have loved to rate this book a solid 4 stars, because it's really very close. It was mostly the prose itself that knocked it down that half star; I don't need all of my prose to be beautiful and lyrical, as I also find a lot of value in authors being able to communicate their intent simply and clearly. But it fell flat or felt shallow in places; not through the entirety, there were some lovely moments, but there were parts where, had I been editing or beta reading, I would have asked the author to dig a little deeper, in order to root the reader into the story in the way I think she wanted. More detail to lend to the atmosphere, a closer examination of the dialogue where it occasionally became a vehicle for plot or exposition.

      Otherwise I did really enjoy this. It was quite immersive, and made me do that thing with page turners where you finish and kind of feel like you're emerging from a fog belonging to a different time and place. I don't read a whole lot of mystery, but I thought it had a good balance of feeling satisfied with myself when I was able to figure something out, but not figuring it out so well in advance of reveals as to make me feel like it was insulting my intelligence. There was also enough that I was not able to guess and even one point where I said "oh my god" out loud. The characters were all distinctive and defined with unique voices to each — I became particularly attached to Sonia, one of the POV characters from the 50s portions of the book. I was surprised by how much I loved Jamie, Fiona's love interest, and how much I liked their relationship and its progression through the book. The ghost story wasn't too scary — a plus for me, because I'm a huge wimp when it comes to ghosts, and I like being able to sleep at night, though if I have one other caveat I felt like perhaps Mary should have been developed more as a character in her own right, because I found I was expecting to understand her in a way that I didn't really get in the end.

      The novel's biggest strength, however, was in its depiction of women and female relationships. The girls and women in this story are complex and flawed, and the relationship between the four girls in particular just had my heart. The complicated ways that they loved each other was called love nevertheless, and the actual portrayal of how these girls thought about each other and supported each other was done very subtly and effectively, mirrored in the way Fiona remembered her relationship with her sister. So despite my qualms, this was well worth it, and I'll definitely check out St. James's other works.
    • 3/5
      The Broken Girls by Simone St. James is a good mystery read with two stories going on at once. One story is of the past, and one the present. There is a small bit of paranormal activity in it, just a hi t to make it creepy at times. There is a rape scene that made me want to quit reading...don't like books with that in there especially when it is young kids. I knocked off a star rating for that, it could have just implied...It did have good twists and turns but I was expecting more of a haunting and ghost tale then it was. A good read.
    • 5/5
      "One of these girls must have known Sonia. And after we dig, somebody must still be alive."'The Broken Girls' is definitely a chilling page-turner that I loved reading from beginning to end. From the first page, I was hooked! I loved everything about it. When I first bought this book from my local Target, the cover had caught my attention. I knew it was going to be a great read.I like the setting of this story. I liked the back and forth between the tellings of different years apart(1950 to 2014) and the experiences of the time spent at Idlewild Hall.There wasn't anything that I didn't enjoy about this book. It gave me the chills right away. And it has that whole Gothic ghost story along with a new age murder added to it. Who wouldn't like this?Have you ever read a book and just thought to yourself, " Hey, this would make a great movie!"? well, that's exactly the feeling I got from The Broken Girls while reading this. Thank You Simone St. James, for giving us such a great ghost story. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a little gothic ghost story!
    • 5/5
      Idlewild is a place where you don’t want to go, a school for girls who have no other place or who have no one who wants them. But in 1950, four girls there find each other and bond together, until there are only three. In 2014, the school has been closed and abandoned for years, and then the land was sold and someone wants to open it again. This greatly disturbs Fiona, whose older sister was murdered a decade ago and whose body was left on the school grounds. Determined to find out if the man in prison for her sister’s murder is truly guilty, and to find out what happened to the missing girl, Fiona digs into the past. But she finds more than she anticipated: conspiracies, murders, concealments, lies, and ghosts! Well-crafted and masterfully written, this tale will captivate you from beginning to end.
    • 4/5
      The book had a little bit of everything - mystery, intrigue, suspense, supernatural, and it was all wrapped up by the end (I always appreciate that!). The story was a little confusing at first, as it changed perspectives between five different characters, but it was easy to figure out. Once I got into it, I couldn't stop reading. I literally stayed up way too late just to finish it!
    • 4/5
      I finally tackled this one. I started it before and got a bit scared so I put it aside. I’m so glad I picked it back up, or more like listened in the daylight on my commute. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4 .
    • 5/5
      “Fiona realized as she walked inside that she’d been picturing something Harry-Potter-like, with high Gothic ceilings and warm candlelight.” (Quotation page 56)Content:Idlewild Hall had been a boarding school for girls, sent away by their families. Finally closed around 1979 and since abandoned, the new owners want to restore it and reopen the house as a new, modern school. Young Journalist Fiona Sheridan has her own bitter memories connected with the Idlewild property, as twenty years ago her sister Deb had been found dead on the former sports field. Although Tim, her sister’s boyfriend, had been sentenced, for Fiona there are still lots of very unclear details and open questions. She wants to write an article about Idlewild Hall and starts her own researches. When the renovation team finds the remains of the body of a young girl, dead for more than sixty years and definitely murdered, she digs deep into the past of Idlewild Hall. Who was Mary Hand?Theme and genre:This dark and atmospheric story is written in the perfect tradition of the famous Gothic fiction originated in England in the second half of the 18th and the 19th century. There are female heroines, four girls in 1950 and Fiona in 2014, a ghost and darkness and mysteries. Topic are the living conditions of for different reasons unwanted girls in the early 60ies, but also female friendship, tenacity and courage, now and then. Another topic are grieve and loss and the Holocaust.Characters:Fiona is likeable, because although her questions are soon getting dangerous for her, she is not willing to stop and give up. 1950, in the dark, cold surrounding of Idlewild School, four girls, Katie, Roberta, CeCe and Sonia are best friends, holding together against everything.Plot and writing:The story takes place in Barrons, Vermont. There are two timelines, the fifties with each chapter focusing on one of the four girls and 2014, with details going back to 1994. Both timelines are gripping und breathtaking, with surprising twists and turns. Especially historical facts connected to Sophie´s story were thoroughly researched.Conclusion:A dark, atmospheric novel in the tradition of the famous English Gothic literature, gripping and full of suspense. A perfect pageturner, sleepless nights included.
    • 4/5
      This was quite the mix of genres. There was a bit paranormal, some romance, mystery, suspense/thriller and history. The story is told using two timelines. In 1950, Idlewild Hall is a boarding school for girls. Whether they were orphans, their family didn't want them (illegitimacy) or they were incorrigible, Idlewild is where girls can be sent and often forgotten about. They're all damaged and hurt in their own way. Some of them put on a good face and are given a wide birth by the other girls, some are shy and quiet and the brunt of taunts. A group of four girls are rooming together in 4C. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, attitudes and personalities, they form a bond that can not be broken in life or death. The 2014 storyline surrounds the mysteries of Idlewild, the discovery of a dead body in the well and the stubborn refusal of Fiona to blindly accept the death of her sister and the conviction of her boyfriend. She insists there is more to the story and she will not stop digging until she gets her answer.

      The characters in the past were likable as they were often hidden away for reasons that were not their fault. They tried to survive and develop the first real friends they had. The ones in 2014 were not the easiest to like. Fiona can rub people the wrong way and her boyfriend/detective seems to be afraid to do the right thing. The new owners of the Idlewild Property are secretive and again, hard to believe and like. The beginning of the story is a bit slow, but do not give up on this one. It was an engrossing read and as the story unfolded, I was riveted. I could not wait to see what was going to happen next and ended up reading more than half of the book in just a few hours, staying up long past my usual bedtime. Of course, I can not write this review without mentioning Mary Hand, the ghost. Mary Hand Mary Hand, Dead and buried underland. She'll say she wants to be your friend. Do not let her in again. Mary Hand is something of a legend among generations of Idlewild Girls. Many have claimed to see her. Some have heard her speak. Some have been shown things. One thing is for sure: once you meet the ghost in black that haunts the grounds, you will never forget her.

      This is definitely an enjoyable read that was much more than I ever expected. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a little of everything, a mystery that's emotional and a bit spooky. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Edelweiss.
    • 4/5
      First I want to say a special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!I have a deep appreciation for an unsettling Gothic horror story, and while the genre is a bit less common these days (if I’m totally wrong on this, PLEASE send me some titles! I love Gothic horror!) when I find a good one that just makes it all the more special. So when you take a historical fiction that has a boarding school setting AND throw in a restless ghost to boot, I am going to be so there and so ready. It was really just icing on the cake that “The Broken Girls” by Simone St. James not only had these plot points, but also a modern day thriller with a body found in a well and a woman who can’t let go of her sister’s murder. Fun fact: I was lucky enough to have my initial review selected as the official LibraryReads.org blurb for the book. Not to toot my own horn or anything. But the reason I was so inspired in my initial review was because this book really took me in and creeped me out for lots of reasons.The dual narratives of 1950s and 2010s each give us pieces to a puzzle that is rooted in the mistreatment and abuses of women. Idlewood School was an all too common place where unwanted or inconvenient girls were sent to live out their adolescence, be it because they were the children of mistresses of powerful people, mentally ill, or orphans with few other places to go. They all have the similarity in that their lives are basically valued as worthless, and few, if anyone,would miss them if they were to disappear. Which one girl does. The modern story is of Fiona, a reporter whose older sister was murdered near the property in the 1990s, and who still harbors an obsession about why this happened and it could have been prevented. And always settled above both is the ever present legend of Mary Hand, a teenage girl who died on the property shortly after giving bitrh to an illegitimate child whose body ended up in the garden. While all of the victims in this story are painted in broad brush strokes by those who live to tell the tales, be it a missing girl, a murdered girl, or a ghost girl, as the story progresses you learn so much about them, giving them more depth and showing a number of tragedies that you can’t disconnect yourself from. I was more interested in the Fiona storyline as she digs deep into the history of Idlewood and tries to find some answers to give herself peace, but I did like going back to the 1950s and seeing the group of friends of Kate, Sonia, Cece, and Roberta. The way that St.James ties it all together is worth it in the end, and I’m being deliberately vague because i think that you have to go in without any hints to really enjoy it.I also really liked the supernatural and gothic aspects! I mean, come on! A boarding school in the middle of the Vermont Countryside? May as well be the moors! You get the sense of isolation and foreboding whenever the school and it’s grounds are described, and I could totally see why it could get lost in the wilderness even tough everyone knows that it is out there. St. James did a great job of crafting the perfect ghost story to take place there as well, harkening back to books like “The Woman in Black” and “The Haunting of Hill House” and creating a genuine tragedy that sets off a deeply creepy and fear inducing haunting. It’s also important to note that even the haunting has it’s secrets, and that while there are truths to the legend, like I would imagine most ghost stories and their origins, things aren’t always what they seem, and St. James really makes the reader feel like there is something realistic at the heart of it, a realism that keeps to the themes of gender discrimination and misogyny.“The Broken Girls” is a dark and poignant novel that fans of Gothic horror really ought to check out. Not only does it effectively address still all too relevant themes of our culture, I was definitely side eyeing every bump in the night right after finishing it.
    • 5/5
      I loved this ghost story by Simone St. James. She did an excellent job slipping back and forth in the story from Vermont 2014 to Vermont 1950. Idlewild Hall is a place for the girls whom no one wants—the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. There are rumors that the place is haunted and some girls have disappeared. Journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister's death at Idlewild Hall. When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored, a shocking discovery links the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past. I can't wait to read more by St. James as this book is quite eery.
    • 3/5
      Idlewild Hall was a boarding school "of last resort, where parents stash their embarrassments, their failures, and their recalcitrant girls." When freelance writer Fiona Sheldon discovers that the abandoned boarding school had been purchased and currently under renovation to be reopened, she convinces her editor to let her write an article detailing its history for the local area's magazine. The school is also history for Fiona's family since her sister was found murdered on the ground 20 years earlier. During the renovation another body is found with an opening in the back of her skull in a dry well and is identified as being a orphaned student named Sonia presumed to have run away in 1950. Fiona plans have been diverted as she attempts to discover who might have murdered her. However, her investigation may also unearth secrets, which someone wants to keep secret, regarding the death of her sister.The novel is the interweaving of two timelines: 1950 and 2014. The latter date surrounds Fiona's investigations. The former introduces us to Sonia and her three friends. When Sonia disappears presumed to have run away, the three are the only ones who believe that she did not. One paranormal apparition, the young ghost of Mary Hand, connects these two times. Many of the characters in the book have seen her in the garden beckoning their assistance.Although I enjoyed this book, I have read two earlier books by this author: The Haunting of Maddie Clare and Silence for the Dead both of which had a much more paranormal nature. The latter book is also within the historical fiction genre setting in England at the end of WWI. If you enjoyed The Broken Girls, you will love these other two.
    • 4/5
      Idlewild boarding school for girls was the setting for four teenage roommates to bond and to shut off their troubled pasts which landed them there in 1950s Vermont. And it is also home to a ghost named Mary Hand who is not shy about making herself heard, seen, and felt. Spine-tingling.More recently, Idlewild is where Fiona Sheridan's murdered sister was found, and now 20 years later Fee remains obsessed with questions about why it happened. She is a reporter set to write a story about Idlewild being renovated, and becomes involved in the four girls' histories. Mary Hand is still around too, and now she has company.This moved right along and kept my interest throughout. I think it's hard to write ghosts into a novel and make them believable, but it works here. For those interested in Nazi detention camps, there's a side story which adds some intrigue into one of the historical elements. Quite a lot of secrets and surprises making for an excellent mystery.
    • 4/5
      Took me a long time to finish this one due to many factors, including out-of-state company.I thought this was a good book, a mystery that was told in alternating times, 2014 and 1950.1950, Idlewild Hall, a school for troubled girls. Katie, CeCe, Roberta and Sonia are roommates who learn to lean on each other and become best friends. When one of them goes missing, the girls stop at nothing to find her.2014, Fiona Sheridan, a journalist, is still going over the death of her sister, Deb, that happened 20yrs prior. Deb's boyfriend went to jail for her murder but Fiona just can not let it rest. When Fiona finds out that Idlewild Hall is being restored, she decides to write a story about it. A shocking discovery and what she finds out along the way will forever connect the two and the town will never be the same.Honestly, I could've done without Mary Hand. She was creepy, sure, but the unrealistic way that she was portrayed and the things she "showed" you just was a little much for me.
    • 5/5
      This was an incredibly good mystery. I have found that this is a rule and not an exception when it comes to Simone St. James' books. The story combines some creepy elements into a past- present mystery. When you add in a haunted location with a sad but creepy ghost a murder mystery both past and present...you have "The Broken Girls" . A story that will grab you and keep you reading and wanting more at the end. .
    • 4/5
      Really good read. I’d definitely recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Perfect for the overcast, rainy day on which I decided to read it.Set during winter in a small town called Barrons, Vermont. Part of the story takes place in the 1950s at Idlewild Hall, a boarding school for "bad girls." The other part takes place in 2014. Both involve the town legend of Mary Hand.While its mystery is a page-turner, some of the situations the 1950s girls experienced before being cast off to the school's responsibility, were horrific and might trigger certain folks.Prepared for that brutality, though, this thriller would be an excellent read on a cold winter's day.3.5 starsSonia Gallipeau's backstory involves the Holocaust and her imprisonment in the Ravensbruck women's (and children) camp. Kate was raped by a friend and couldn't tell anyone -- her mom likely knew but treated Kate like it was her fault. Roberta witnessed her uncle's attempted suicide. And CeCe is the illegitimate daughter of her mother's employer -- her mom tried to drown her. Mary Hand is a ghost haunting the school and its lands. She was a real woman who died on the land as did her baby. She shows people their worst nightmares, usually something very real from their past. Something they feel guilty about or that haunts them.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable combination mystery/ghost story that focuses on an abandoned boarding school for girls in Vermont. The story bounces between a journalist's obsessive drive to find out the truth about her sister's murder two decades earlier and a group of the boarding school's student roommates in the 1950s.
    • 4/5
      A murder mystery that wrapped up all too neatly for the span of time and breadth of mayhem that was portrayed, this was still an enjoyable read. The addition of a ghost was nearly unnecessary, given the other story lines.
    • 4/5
      I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.Idlewild Hall has never never a happy place. In the 1950's, it was a boarding school for girls whose families had deemed them unwanted. In the 1990's, it's grounds were the location for a murderer to dump the body of Deb Sheridan. In the 2000's, it is being restored, and Fiona Sheridan is drawn to both writing a story about it and trying to solve what truly happened to her sister. But as she delves deeper into the story, shocking revelations come to light about the past--and about the ghostly woman who has been appearing at Idlewild since its inception.I really liked this book! It hits some of my favorite things to read about-(multiple) mysteries from the past, and paranormal elements. There are so many strong female characters. And St. James really kept me guessing-I would think I had something figured out, and would then find out something that turned everything I thought I knew on its head. One of the big reveals by the end I had absolutely never seen coming.This book manages to be a mystery grounded in reality that also has a fantastically creepy paranormal element. I definitely recommend this read.
    • 4/5
      This book was a surprise to me. I expected a coming-of-age book about girls that grew up in a girls boarding school. The book is about that, but it's also an excellent psychological thriller with a paranormal twist. The book is actually set in three timelines, and about two cold cases from two of those timelines. They are all connected by a gutsy, string reporter who lives and works in the town closest to where the old boarding school was. The school was open from around 1910 and closed in the early seventies. The buildiings on the grounds are derelict and falling apart in 2014 when Fiona takes up the story. Fiona lost her sister 20 years before, and her body was discovered on the grounds of Idlewyld school. Her killer has been in jail for twenty years, but Fiona is not satisfied with the description and the timeline of her murder. in 2014 another body of a young girl is found in an abandoned well. This begins the 60 year cold case for her murder. Throw in an 80-year old ghost that has been known to haunt the school and grounds of Idelwyld, and you have a story that is part mystery, part gothic thriller and partly a story of loss and recemption. Ms. St. James has crafted a story that is haunting and memorable. I really enjoyed Fiona and her determination to find out what happened to her sister, and what happened at Idlelwyld school over the years.
    • 4/5
      I love a good ghost story, and this is one of the best. Fiona is a journalist in rural Vermont, dating a cop who is much younger than she is and still suffering from the effects of her older sister's murder when she was a teenager. However, her life takes a turn when the private girls' school in the area, which has been closed for many, many years, has been purchased. Rumor had it that the new owners were going to do the work to reopen it, a story Fiona could not risk being involved in, especially since her sister's body had been discovered on the abandoned school's grounds. Making all of this even more interesting is the story of Mary Hand, the ghost who allegedly wanders the grounds in search of her baby and peace. Flashing to the past amidst the present day actions, we discover the truth behind it all making this truly a wonderful murder mystery and ghost story.
    • 5/5
      What a great book! Fantastic story. Really creepy! Great characters. Not the usual cops & robbers tale, which I love. Loved diving into history with the protagonist. Just all-around good writing. Highly recommend!
    • 4/5
      This awful cover art almost turned me away from what was, really, a very good book. It was suspenseful and the way the story unfolded with two story-lines between 1950 and 2014, keeps the story engaging and at the end of your seat. I was really impressed with how the author kept a few pretty complex story-lines together without confusing readers and pulled all those loose threads together at the end, for a pretty compelling and chilling ending. Idlewild boarding school for young ladies is not a nice place. It's dark, foreboding, and many say it's haunted. In 1950 four roommates are convinced there is a ghost haunting them and the grounds. She goes by Mary Hand and you can't let her in. They're not alone, decades of girls before them have written about and passed on legends about the haunting of Mary. In 2014, a journalist is appalled to discover that the long vacant Idlewild boarding school has been bought and is being restored. In the nineties the journalist's sister was found found brutalized and murdered in the athletic field and the place has haunted her ever since. During construction, the crews find the body of a teenager in a well, but it's not new, it's decades old. She decides she has to research and write this story. There is too much tragedy at the boarding house to be a coincidence. Fast paced and impossible to put down!
    • 4/5
      I found myself really getting into this story of intersecting murders set around a closed Vermont boarding school for girls. The characters weren't perfect, but the story ended well and with a lot of hope for a book otherwise shrouded in gloom. A very well-paced story and one that makes good reading.
    • 4/5
      This book opens with an unidentified girl who believes she is being followed as she walks along a deserted road. She is trying to return to Idlewild Hall, a mediocre boarding school for girls built in 1919 and closed in the 1970s. The students there were troubled, unwanted and shunted off by their families. Part of this murder mystery/ghost story involves four roommates from 1950, Katie, CeCe, Roberta and Sonia. The other half of the story is set in 2014 and involves Fiona, a reporter who is obsessed with the 1994 murder of her sister. The sister's body had been dumped on the grounds of Idlewild Hall and her boyfriend was convicted of murder. Fiona is unconvinced of the boyfriend's guilt and her relentless investigations lead her to discover the history of the school and the roommates. I preferred the story of the students to that of Fiona, whose chief personality trait was self absorption. She's involved in a relationship with a cop. Fortunately for me the romance element didn't intrude too much into the basic story. The girls were much more interesting. They were tough, resourceful survivors and I liked their back stories and their loyalty to each other. The details of the ghostly presence of a young woman dressed in black were handled very well. Generations of students and teachers had been seeing and hearing the ghost. Everyone at the school was slightly on edge when not actually terrified. It's surprising that the school lasted as long as it did.The book combined murders, Nazis and a ghost in a very entertaining way. This is the second book that I've read by this author and I would be willing to read more.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 4/5
      3.5 A storyline fifty years apart. A deserted school for girls, a school that in the fifties, housed girls that had problems. Four become fast friends, and then one goes missing never forgotten, but never seen again. A murder in more current times, body found on school grounds and a sister who wants answers. Now a wealthy woman is undertaking a renovation of the school, opening and exposing old secrets. Oh yes, and we must forget the ghost!!The atmosphere, spooky, gothic, tense, the definite star of this novel. Fast paced, quite a page turner, constant revelations. Did like the past story more than the present one, which is often the case with these dual storylines. the atmosphere though kept me immersed, and in fact found this entertaining, until the last quarter where it just became too muddled. Too much happening, too many coincidences thrown in the mix, and then the writing faltered. Hence, my rating which for most of the book would have been higher just for the enjoyment factor. This was a sisters read, one which we all enjoyed in varying levels. Quite a good discussion ensued.ARC from Netgalley.
    • 5/5
      THE BROKEN GIRLS was an amazing mystery filled with secrets. Fiona Sheridan is a freelance journalist living in Vermont. The year is 2014 and she is still haunted by the death of her older sister in 1994. Her sister's boyfriend and local golden boy Tom Christopher was convicted of the murder but Fiona still has questions and spends a lot of time at the site where her sister Deb was found - the playing fields of long-closed boarding school Idlewild which was where troublesome girls were sent. When Fiona learns that Idlewild Hall was purchased and is going to be restored as a new boarding school, she decides to write a story about it. Idlewild Hall has always had rumors of being haunted and even the local kids were afraid to explore it. When a body is found during the restoration, Fiona becomes even more determined. First, to find out who the girl was and then to learn the secrets buried at Idlewild Hall.The story is told in two main sections. One section tells the story of four girls who were roommates in 1950 and what happens when one of them goes missing. The girls were throw-aways from their families. Katie was raped at thirteen which embarrassed her family enough to send her away. She is smart, beautiful and a magnet for trouble. Roberta went mute after she saw her Army veteran uncle about to commit suicide. Both situations, Roberta's issues and the uncle's attempted suicide were also embarrassing. CeCe is the illegitimate daughter of a rich powerful man and his housekeeper who was sent to Idlewild Hall after her mother tried to kill her. Sonia is a orphan and a survivor of Ravensbruck Concentration Camp.The second section takes place in 2014 when Fiona begins her investigation. She's dating the son of the retired police chief but his family is against the relationship. Cops and journalists aren't supposed to be that close. The former police chief is a firm member of the good old boys club that is known for doing favors for friends rather than following the letter of the law. I really enjoyed this story. I liked the way the two time periods (or three if you count 1994 when Fiona's sister Deb was murdered) were all interwoven. The book was filled with secrets that were gradually revealed. The characters were all engaging. The ghost that haunted Idlewild Hall and showed people their worst moments added a wonderful creepiness to the whole story. I highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book, part cold-case mystery, part ghost story, set in Barrons, Vermont. Told with a dual timeline, which connects 'The Broken Girls' of Idlewild Hall back in 1950, to the present day, where journalist Fiona is still seeking answers for the murder of her sister Deb, some twenty years earlier, on the grounds of the boarding school. She refuses to let her murder, as well as the Idlewild girls be forgotten. As Fiona unravels the stories of these forgotten girls, she gradually solves more than one mystery in the process.This mystery also reads as a ghost story, and being set in a boarding school (one of my favorite settings), means it's rich with atmosphere. The lonely lanes of Barrons, Vermont, highlight the loneliness of the characters in the novel, and there's a sadness throughout as well: the tragedies that led the girls to be at the school in the first place, they were all discarded by their families or by society. Simone's writing is seamless in weaving the different stories of girls (and Fiona) together to where they complete each other, and with respect to her research, I appreciated her acknowledging in her afterword that she researched Ravensbruck (Nazi concentration camp), which is where one of the characters spent her time as a victim during the war. I can't reveal too much about the ghostly element of the story, plus there's also some 'dirty cop' drama plus a mild romantic conflict, but those do play significant but small parts in the story-line.If you're looking for a cold-case mystery with elements of a ghost story that is just that right amount of spooky, this is it. Simone has hit the nail on the head.*Thank you to Penguin for allowing me to read an early digital copy of this through the First to Read program.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved, loved this book! Talk about a powerhouse; author, Simone St. James is one. The only thing "broken" about this book is how heart broken I was that it was over. Really, you guys, I read this book in an hour! I have not done that in a long time. I was totally into this book and spellbound. Everything about it from the beginning, middle, ending, the characters, and the plot was great. The two time periods were both strong. They melded well together flowing back and forth. Fiona has great journalist instincts. Then getting to know the four girls was lovely. Although, what they had to endure while at Idlewild Hall was terrifying. All I can say is that ghosts do exist and don't underestimate urban legends. I do want to point out that the ending was a high note. There is nothing worse than to read a book only to get a weak ending. I can't wait to see what the author brings next.
    • 4/5
      1950 was not an easy time for teenage girls who didn't fit a specific mold. Put a group of these girls in an isolated boarding school that might be haunted, and you have an irresistible setting. In this same Vermont town, 54 years later, we have a different young woman living an entirely different kind of life. The way these characters' lives intersect and entwine is a fascinating, complex, well-told story.While I loved the last half of this book, I had some problems in the early stages. We have the two timelines, plus the murder of Fiona's sister, which occurred between these two timelines. Four of the schoolgirls from the 1950 timeline have narrating parts, and then there is Fiona's narrating part in the current timeline. Consequently, there is a whole lot of shifting in perspectives, as well as what initially feels like too many plots and subplots. Despite the multitude of directions this story takes, the pace moves quite slowly through the first third of so of the book. We're given excessive detail on unimportant things, such as one of the girls playing soccer. So I found myself resisting the urge to skim, and it took me a bit to get a foothold in the story. By the midway point, when the pace picks up and the past starts to reach into the present, I was completely hooked. If you like stories heavy on atmosphere, with memorable characters and just enough supernatural edge to scare you with possibilities, definitely give this book a try.*The publisher provided me with an advance ebook copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.*