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The Sea of Lost Girls
A story set in a prestigious prep school in which one woman’s carefully hidden past might destroy her future.
Tess has worked hard to keep her past buried, where it belongs. Now she’s the wife to a respected professor at an elite boarding school, where she also teaches. Her seventeen-year-old son, Rudy, whose dark moods and complicated behavior she’s long worried about, seems to be thriving: he has a lead role in the school play and a smart and ambitious girlfriend. Tess tries not to think about the mistakes she made eighteen years ago, and mostly, she succeeds.
And then one more morning she gets a text at 2:50 AM: it’s Rudy, asking for help. When Tess picks him up she finds him drenched and shivering, with a dark stain on his sweatshirt. Four hours later, Tess gets a phone call from the Haywood school headmistress: Lila Zeller, Rudy’s girlfriend, has been found dead on the beach, not far from where Tess found Rudy just hours before.
As the investigation into Lila’s death escalates, Tess finds her family attacked on all sides. What first seemed like a tragic accidental death is turning into something far more sinister, and not only is Tess’s son a suspect but her husband is a person of interest too. But Lila’s death isn’t the first blemish on Haywood’s record, and the more Tess learns about Haywood’s fabled history, the more she realizes that not all skeletons will stay safely locked in the closet.
Tess has worked hard to keep her past buried, where it belongs. Now she’s the wife to a respected professor at an elite boarding school, where she also teaches. Her seventeen-year-old son, Rudy, whose dark moods and complicated behavior she’s long worried about, seems to be thriving: he has a lead role in the school play and a smart and ambitious girlfriend. Tess tries not to think about the mistakes she made eighteen years ago, and mostly, she succeeds.
And then one more morning she gets a text at 2:50 AM: it’s Rudy, asking for help. When Tess picks him up she finds him drenched and shivering, with a dark stain on his sweatshirt. Four hours later, Tess gets a phone call from the Haywood school headmistress: Lila Zeller, Rudy’s girlfriend, has been found dead on the beach, not far from where Tess found Rudy just hours before.
As the investigation into Lila’s death escalates, Tess finds her family attacked on all sides. What first seemed like a tragic accidental death is turning into something far more sinister, and not only is Tess’s son a suspect but her husband is a person of interest too. But Lila’s death isn’t the first blemish on Haywood’s record, and the more Tess learns about Haywood’s fabled history, the more she realizes that not all skeletons will stay safely locked in the closet.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2020
555 people are currently reading
16917 people want to read
About the author
Carol Goodman
35 books2,898 followersCarol Goodman is the author of The Lake of Dead Languages, The Seduction of Water, which won the Hammett Prize, The Widow's House, which won the Mary Higgins Clark Award and The Night Visitors, which won the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also the co-author, with her husband Lee Slonimsky, of the Watchtower fantasy trilogy. Her work has appeared in such journals as The Greensboro Review, Literal Latte, The Midwest Quarterly, and Other Voices. After graduation from Vassar College, where she majored in Latin, she taught Latin for several years in Austin, Texas. She then received an M.F.A. in fiction from the New School University. Goodman currently teaches literature and writing at The New School and SUNY New Paltz and lives with her family in the Hudson Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 771 reviews
March 3, 2020
NOW AVAILABLE!!
i'm always attracted to carol goodman's books—they look good and they sound promising, but now, after dating three of them, i can empirically report that we just aren't meant to be. it's for all the usual reasons relationships don't work out—there's no chemistry, no meaningful communication, we're looking for different things; i want to settle down, she's just looking for something casual, although i for sure have cheated on her with numerous other books.
i give all authors three chances to woo me, and it seems we're just not meant to be. to use a TV-reference to explain the way i feel about her books, they are 100% the medium place.
they aren't the literary crime fiction masterpieces of authors like Tana French, and they aren't 'leave 'em at the lake house' vacation mass markets that aren't even trying to impress. they're...fine.
it's a good effort, but overall, her situations aren't relatable, the characters' behaviors aren't convincing, many dramatic complications could've been avoided with a head-clearing deep breath and a conversation; her books live in that space that's slightly less soapy than a lifetime movie and they just leave me feeling beige.
which is a shame, because sometimes she'll come out with something really evocative and promising that gives me hope:
but it's never enough to make up for the disappointing stretches that border these moments, and i'm forced to consign her to friendzone status.
three strikes, we're done.
*************************************
THANK YOU GOODREADS GIVEAWAY FAIRIES!
come to my blog!
i'm always attracted to carol goodman's books—they look good and they sound promising, but now, after dating three of them, i can empirically report that we just aren't meant to be. it's for all the usual reasons relationships don't work out—there's no chemistry, no meaningful communication, we're looking for different things; i want to settle down, she's just looking for something casual, although i for sure have cheated on her with numerous other books.
i give all authors three chances to woo me, and it seems we're just not meant to be. to use a TV-reference to explain the way i feel about her books, they are 100% the medium place.
they aren't the literary crime fiction masterpieces of authors like Tana French, and they aren't 'leave 'em at the lake house' vacation mass markets that aren't even trying to impress. they're...fine.
it's a good effort, but overall, her situations aren't relatable, the characters' behaviors aren't convincing, many dramatic complications could've been avoided with a head-clearing deep breath and a conversation; her books live in that space that's slightly less soapy than a lifetime movie and they just leave me feeling beige.
which is a shame, because sometimes she'll come out with something really evocative and promising that gives me hope:
Built in 1811 by hardy Congregationalists, the Haywood chapel is a plain white clapboard meetinghouse. Entering it, I always feel like I'm about to be tried for witchcraft. I bring my students here when we read The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter and ask them to sit in silence for a few minutes, to imagine that there is nothing outside the little circle of houses but wilderness and the sea. If you're cast out of here, there is no place for you to go.
but it's never enough to make up for the disappointing stretches that border these moments, and i'm forced to consign her to friendzone status.
three strikes, we're done.
*************************************
THANK YOU GOODREADS GIVEAWAY FAIRIES!
come to my blog!
July 20, 2020
The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman is a 2020 William Morrow publication.
Twisty, atmospheric suspense-
After surviving a painful past, Tess married a professor at prestigious boarding school, where she also teaches. Her troubled teenage son, Rudy, seems to be enjoying a period of stability until his girlfriend, Lila is found dead.
Rudy instantly becomes a prime suspect. However, the police are also interested in speaking with Tess's husband, believing he might also have a motive to kill Lila.
If that weren't bad enough, it would appear this is not the first time a female student has died at Haywood.
Tess soon finds herself walking a tightrope, trying to keep her past buried, and protect her son and husband, and staying one step ahead of law enforcement and their probing questions.
Tess is soon caught up in a vicious cat and mouse game as the walls start closing in on her.
This is a taut novel of suspense with some nice twists that kept me invested in the story. There were a few minor lags here and there, but for the most part the story maintains a brooding sense of foreboding from start to finish.
Tess is a great narrator, a terrific character whose strengths win out over her fear and vulnerabilities.
Overall, this was an addicting novel I had a hard time putting down. Now that I have my first Carol Goodman novel under my belt, I am looking forward to reading more of her books!
4 stars
Twisty, atmospheric suspense-
After surviving a painful past, Tess married a professor at prestigious boarding school, where she also teaches. Her troubled teenage son, Rudy, seems to be enjoying a period of stability until his girlfriend, Lila is found dead.
Rudy instantly becomes a prime suspect. However, the police are also interested in speaking with Tess's husband, believing he might also have a motive to kill Lila.
If that weren't bad enough, it would appear this is not the first time a female student has died at Haywood.
Tess soon finds herself walking a tightrope, trying to keep her past buried, and protect her son and husband, and staying one step ahead of law enforcement and their probing questions.
Tess is soon caught up in a vicious cat and mouse game as the walls start closing in on her.
This is a taut novel of suspense with some nice twists that kept me invested in the story. There were a few minor lags here and there, but for the most part the story maintains a brooding sense of foreboding from start to finish.
Tess is a great narrator, a terrific character whose strengths win out over her fear and vulnerabilities.
Overall, this was an addicting novel I had a hard time putting down. Now that I have my first Carol Goodman novel under my belt, I am looking forward to reading more of her books!
4 stars
February 28, 2025
This book is the perfect case of watching a train wreck and having zero ability to stop the crash or help the victims.
There’s a running tension between generations of young victims loosely inspired by the exploits of Hester Prynne and company, accentuated in Arthur Miller’s play. Written in the 1950s, this storyline is still relevant when considering the damage caused to reputations by social media and smart phones. Fear of exposure drives many of the characters in this book, ratcheting up the tension.
Read in two sittings— for the first 100 pages, I could barely keep up with what I was learning. That feeling of “what the heck is she doing” combined with, “No, don’t tell them that” or “darn she went there,” earned the 4 star rating!
I’d describe our main character, Tess, as a friend who asks for advice, and then promptly ignores it. She drove me crazy while I was rooting for her!
Hidden pasts, lies— both direct and of omission— and a creepy private school setting combines to hurl the unsuspecting reader toward what seems to be a sensible conclusion.
And then, the reader (along with our ashamed, overprotective main character) is shown that fear and more chaos abounds. But as they say, the truth will out!!
I liked the ending to this potboiler— of course, this reader appreciated a break from all that created chaos too!!
(Reviewed 2/23/23)
There’s a running tension between generations of young victims loosely inspired by the exploits of Hester Prynne and company, accentuated in Arthur Miller’s play. Written in the 1950s, this storyline is still relevant when considering the damage caused to reputations by social media and smart phones. Fear of exposure drives many of the characters in this book, ratcheting up the tension.
Read in two sittings— for the first 100 pages, I could barely keep up with what I was learning. That feeling of “what the heck is she doing” combined with, “No, don’t tell them that” or “darn she went there,” earned the 4 star rating!
I’d describe our main character, Tess, as a friend who asks for advice, and then promptly ignores it. She drove me crazy while I was rooting for her!
Hidden pasts, lies— both direct and of omission— and a creepy private school setting combines to hurl the unsuspecting reader toward what seems to be a sensible conclusion.
And then, the reader (along with our ashamed, overprotective main character) is shown that fear and more chaos abounds. But as they say, the truth will out!!
I liked the ending to this potboiler— of course, this reader appreciated a break from all that created chaos too!!
(Reviewed 2/23/23)
December 3, 2020
4 stars!
Engrossing. Atmospheric. Foreboding. Mysterious.
This novel takes place at a boarding school (I love boarding school settings!) that was once a Home for fallen girls. The prestigious Haywood prep school houses students from wealthy families alongside students who earn their admittance through school scholarships. An eager and straight-A student begins an investigative report on female students who have gone missing since before the Home became an elite school. The investigation leads to the discovery and unraveling of long buried secrets and that students death.
I loved the atmosphere of this story. The small town and school grounds added so much foreboding tension and mystery to the plot. The characters were well developed - each one having a questionable aspect of their past that left me suspicious and curious. The mystery itself was highly intriguing and kept me fully engaged and invested until the end. While there were a few unrealistic plot points, the intense atmosphere and gripping mystery made up for it.
This was a novel I truly enjoyed being wrapped up in. This is another title from my Edelweiss backlist - thank you to Edelweiss for my review copy. The writing was excellent and I can’t wait to read this authors upcoming release!
Thank you to my lovely local library for the loan of the physical copy!
Engrossing. Atmospheric. Foreboding. Mysterious.
This novel takes place at a boarding school (I love boarding school settings!) that was once a Home for fallen girls. The prestigious Haywood prep school houses students from wealthy families alongside students who earn their admittance through school scholarships. An eager and straight-A student begins an investigative report on female students who have gone missing since before the Home became an elite school. The investigation leads to the discovery and unraveling of long buried secrets and that students death.
I loved the atmosphere of this story. The small town and school grounds added so much foreboding tension and mystery to the plot. The characters were well developed - each one having a questionable aspect of their past that left me suspicious and curious. The mystery itself was highly intriguing and kept me fully engaged and invested until the end. While there were a few unrealistic plot points, the intense atmosphere and gripping mystery made up for it.
This was a novel I truly enjoyed being wrapped up in. This is another title from my Edelweiss backlist - thank you to Edelweiss for my review copy. The writing was excellent and I can’t wait to read this authors upcoming release!
Thank you to my lovely local library for the loan of the physical copy!
December 7, 2020
The Sea of Lost Girls was a good one to squeeze in between those intense, exciting reads that send my heart rate through the roof. However, I do feel some depth of the story was missed by the story being told to us.
There are some heavy themes here with power and control between men and women and toxic masculinity with a mystery full of secrets from the past and spinning lies. Our main character Tess is an unlikeable unreliable narrator with secrets from her past that she has hidden with lies. At times I wonder how she could keep track of them all while keeping them spinning. However, there is plenty of backstories told to us and then repeated when a new reveal is the present came up to help keep track of everything.
Carol Goodman weaves in myths, legends, stories, and a play to layer in the themes of power and control however, I feel it missed the mark with the depth needed by telling us so much of the story instead of revealing parts of the past as the story progresses.
Overall I thought it was an easier read with dark realities surrounding control and power over women while representing women well.
This is a title from my Edelweiss backlist, and Lindsay and I hope to knock a couple off before the end of the year!
There are some heavy themes here with power and control between men and women and toxic masculinity with a mystery full of secrets from the past and spinning lies. Our main character Tess is an unlikeable unreliable narrator with secrets from her past that she has hidden with lies. At times I wonder how she could keep track of them all while keeping them spinning. However, there is plenty of backstories told to us and then repeated when a new reveal is the present came up to help keep track of everything.
Carol Goodman weaves in myths, legends, stories, and a play to layer in the themes of power and control however, I feel it missed the mark with the depth needed by telling us so much of the story instead of revealing parts of the past as the story progresses.
Overall I thought it was an easier read with dark realities surrounding control and power over women while representing women well.
This is a title from my Edelweiss backlist, and Lindsay and I hope to knock a couple off before the end of the year!
March 6, 2020
Oh, I love a mystery set in prep school!
Tess has a secret past. She’s a teacher and married to a professor of a boarding school, Haywood. Her seventeen-year-old son, Rudy, has had a difficult time, but he’s adjusted and doing well. He has a girlfriend and will be in the school play.
Tess receives a text in the middle of the night. She needs to pick up Rudy, and when she does, he has a stain on his sweatshirt.
Shortly thereafter, she receives a call that Lila, Rudy’s girlfriend, has been found dead.
Soon, Rudy is a suspect, and Tess’s husband may be involved somehow too. When it all opens up, this isn’t the first time Haywood has been involved in scandal.
I loved the coastal Maine setting for this book. It added so much atmosphere. Tess was a well-drawn character, easy to relate to, complex, and fallible. The plotting was smooth and tense, and I was invested in the storyline quickly. All in all, I enjoyed my first book by Carol Goodman!
I received a gifted copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Many of reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Tess has a secret past. She’s a teacher and married to a professor of a boarding school, Haywood. Her seventeen-year-old son, Rudy, has had a difficult time, but he’s adjusted and doing well. He has a girlfriend and will be in the school play.
Tess receives a text in the middle of the night. She needs to pick up Rudy, and when she does, he has a stain on his sweatshirt.
Shortly thereafter, she receives a call that Lila, Rudy’s girlfriend, has been found dead.
Soon, Rudy is a suspect, and Tess’s husband may be involved somehow too. When it all opens up, this isn’t the first time Haywood has been involved in scandal.
I loved the coastal Maine setting for this book. It added so much atmosphere. Tess was a well-drawn character, easy to relate to, complex, and fallible. The plotting was smooth and tense, and I was invested in the storyline quickly. All in all, I enjoyed my first book by Carol Goodman!
I received a gifted copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Many of reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
February 24, 2020
Right away I'm liking that the read is fast paced. As soon as the son was introduced and bits of him added on, my interest in him lessened. A troublemaker son would only cause trouble, nothing strange about that. Except secrets from the past slowly revealed and what I thought I knew changed course. Love the twists! Love the legends of the nine sisters and the ice story. The reminder about teacher/student relationship is good. I like the discussions on how far a mother goes protecting her son and its consequences.
This book is told in the first person point of view following Tess as she received a text from her 17 years old son, Rudy, asking her to come get him at 3am. Tess and her husband Harmon, Rudy's stepfather, are both professors living near school on an off campus house. Rudy's girlfriend, Lila was found dead early morning. Tess imagined her son had something to do with Lila and she prepared to reveal her hidden past. Tess attended the same high school her son now attends and where she and her husband are now teaching. The school has a sordid past where girls ended up dead and the killer was never caught.
The Sea of Lost Girls is well written. The suspense is lengthy to me with so much runaround and repeats. Tess telling her story so many times. I was getting tired of following her view. I do like the mentioned of #metoo because it goes hand in hand with reality. It's interesting how Tess' life seems to repeat and she didn't realize or she must have only attracted to older men. I guess the repeats occurred because of Tess' layers of lies but I just don't have the patience for it.
xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details
***Many thanks to William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
This book is told in the first person point of view following Tess as she received a text from her 17 years old son, Rudy, asking her to come get him at 3am. Tess and her husband Harmon, Rudy's stepfather, are both professors living near school on an off campus house. Rudy's girlfriend, Lila was found dead early morning. Tess imagined her son had something to do with Lila and she prepared to reveal her hidden past. Tess attended the same high school her son now attends and where she and her husband are now teaching. The school has a sordid past where girls ended up dead and the killer was never caught.
The Sea of Lost Girls is well written. The suspense is lengthy to me with so much runaround and repeats. Tess telling her story so many times. I was getting tired of following her view. I do like the mentioned of #metoo because it goes hand in hand with reality. It's interesting how Tess' life seems to repeat and she didn't realize or she must have only attracted to older men. I guess the repeats occurred because of Tess' layers of lies but I just don't have the patience for it.
xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details
***Many thanks to William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
July 18, 2025
"We make our allegories by choosing what part of the story to remember."
The Sea of Lost Girls
by Carol Goodman
It looks like many of my GR friends enjoyed this one more than myself. I will say something that may seem odd, given I did not rate it all that high. I ADORED the writing. It is descriptive and really beautiful. The Sea of Lost Girls takes place in Maine and, man does she nail the atmosphere. I will look for other works by this writer.
But this story just lost me. Tess gets a call in the middle of the night from her son. He is in a sort of crazed state and asks her to pick him up. Tess, whose son, it turns out, has been having behavioral issues, has always put him before anyone including her husband, her friends and her life. So she goes. And does not really question him about what has happened.
The next day it is announced that Lila, his girlfriend, has ben found dead. She appears to have fallen (or been pushed) off the cliffs above the ocean.
I have read stories like this before and sometimes I enjoy then and sometimes I do not. What made it hard with this one is that by the time I'd read 20 percent of the book, it had already filled up with so many characters, that I was completely confused and could not remember who was who. It was so fast. I guess in a way that is good because that means lots of suspects but I did not feel I got to know to many of the characters and so many in such a short time left me a little bleary eyed.
There is so much more to the book like ancient witchcraft and folklore and missing girls but honestly it was so much so quickly that it sort of felt like five books in one.And besides all that, Tess has a past and it is a pretty murky one so we are constantly going back to her past as well.
It felt way more Gothic than mystery or domestic Noir or YA but out of all those Genres, Gothic is the one I am most picky about.
I really liked the writing as I said and the Historical Allegories which is why I chose the quote I did. I also like the main plot. But the energy for me was off. Just to many people cramming the book, to many plots running together and to much going on at the same time.
SPOILERS:
The ending was such a let down is so many ways. Two almost deaths at sea for Tess, another person confesses to something they never did and dies for nothing and then Tess decides she can never be happy so why try. I wanted less characters and more story with the four main characters, including Luther. I just wasn't a major fan of this one.
The Sea of Lost Girls
by Carol Goodman
It looks like many of my GR friends enjoyed this one more than myself. I will say something that may seem odd, given I did not rate it all that high. I ADORED the writing. It is descriptive and really beautiful. The Sea of Lost Girls takes place in Maine and, man does she nail the atmosphere. I will look for other works by this writer.
But this story just lost me. Tess gets a call in the middle of the night from her son. He is in a sort of crazed state and asks her to pick him up. Tess, whose son, it turns out, has been having behavioral issues, has always put him before anyone including her husband, her friends and her life. So she goes. And does not really question him about what has happened.
The next day it is announced that Lila, his girlfriend, has ben found dead. She appears to have fallen (or been pushed) off the cliffs above the ocean.
I have read stories like this before and sometimes I enjoy then and sometimes I do not. What made it hard with this one is that by the time I'd read 20 percent of the book, it had already filled up with so many characters, that I was completely confused and could not remember who was who. It was so fast. I guess in a way that is good because that means lots of suspects but I did not feel I got to know to many of the characters and so many in such a short time left me a little bleary eyed.
There is so much more to the book like ancient witchcraft and folklore and missing girls but honestly it was so much so quickly that it sort of felt like five books in one.And besides all that, Tess has a past and it is a pretty murky one so we are constantly going back to her past as well.
It felt way more Gothic than mystery or domestic Noir or YA but out of all those Genres, Gothic is the one I am most picky about.
I really liked the writing as I said and the Historical Allegories which is why I chose the quote I did. I also like the main plot. But the energy for me was off. Just to many people cramming the book, to many plots running together and to much going on at the same time.
SPOILERS:
The ending was such a let down is so many ways. Two almost deaths at sea for Tess, another person confesses to something they never did and dies for nothing and then Tess decides she can never be happy so why try. I wanted less characters and more story with the four main characters, including Luther. I just wasn't a major fan of this one.
April 7, 2020
A prestigious school that hides many secrets and something even worse. Through the years young girls from the school have gone missing. Only one body ever found. A teacher who was once a student at the school who has many secrets of her own . Her son now attends the school and he has emotional battles of his own. When another young girl is found murdered after the presentation of the play, The Crucible, those who hold secrets are at risk of exposure.
Was quite intrigued with this story, it was so jumbled, it was hard to tell which revelations mattered, which didn't. The trail is long and reveals a huge and detrimental system failure. Intrigued until near the end, until it became too convoluted. Another case of too much. After all lightening seldom strikes in the same place twice. I mean this figuratively not literally.
Entertaining for the most part, but could've been better, imo.
ARC from Edelweiss
Was quite intrigued with this story, it was so jumbled, it was hard to tell which revelations mattered, which didn't. The trail is long and reveals a huge and detrimental system failure. Intrigued until near the end, until it became too convoluted. Another case of too much. After all lightening seldom strikes in the same place twice. I mean this figuratively not literally.
Entertaining for the most part, but could've been better, imo.
ARC from Edelweiss
May 8, 2020
HARDDDDDD PASS
Ya’ll I’m mad. I just read three 5 STAR books in a row and now I’m down to this... a 2 STAR rating.
Let me explain. You know that one friend who whenever they’re telling a story ALWAYS sounds SUPER defensive and complainy and “woe-is-me” all at the same time. WELL IMAGINE THAT FRIEND IS TELLING YOU A STORY FOR 300 PAGES.
Oh, my HEAVENS! This book (the sea of lost girls) was the epitome of an “everyone failed me” sob story WHEN IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE A CRIME THRILLER?! 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Like you have this VERY cliche helicopter mom, who will do WHATEVER she can to protect her son, even at the expense of all her morals. She disregards everyone else’s feelings. She bashed EVERY male character - even the good guys. And then she spirals down this “let me relive every bad thing that ever happened to me” saga that LITERALLY LASTS TWO-THIRDS of the whole book! Ugh I cant. I just CANT!
And if you were to ask me, “Well, was the crime portion at least good?” I’d answer - I didn’t even care about it anymore because it was SOLELY the Tess and Rudy show.
Ooooph okay. I need to calm down. Sorry but this is another example of a book that is misrepresented in genre and on goodreads. I say - read at your own risk!
Ya’ll I’m mad. I just read three 5 STAR books in a row and now I’m down to this... a 2 STAR rating.
Let me explain. You know that one friend who whenever they’re telling a story ALWAYS sounds SUPER defensive and complainy and “woe-is-me” all at the same time. WELL IMAGINE THAT FRIEND IS TELLING YOU A STORY FOR 300 PAGES.
Oh, my HEAVENS! This book (the sea of lost girls) was the epitome of an “everyone failed me” sob story WHEN IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE A CRIME THRILLER?! 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Like you have this VERY cliche helicopter mom, who will do WHATEVER she can to protect her son, even at the expense of all her morals. She disregards everyone else’s feelings. She bashed EVERY male character - even the good guys. And then she spirals down this “let me relive every bad thing that ever happened to me” saga that LITERALLY LASTS TWO-THIRDS of the whole book! Ugh I cant. I just CANT!
And if you were to ask me, “Well, was the crime portion at least good?” I’d answer - I didn’t even care about it anymore because it was SOLELY the Tess and Rudy show.
Ooooph okay. I need to calm down. Sorry but this is another example of a book that is misrepresented in genre and on goodreads. I say - read at your own risk!
March 25, 2020
Favorite Quotes:
I could feel the waves of emotion radiating off her like blast waves from an explosion.
It’s called a tuck box, my mother had told me, it's what all the kids take to boarding school. As if I were going to Hogwarts and not being sent away in shame.
It’s the quickest, lightest touch of the lips on mine, but it shifts something in me, like the moon pulling an internal tide.
My Review:
Goodreads lists twenty-four novels after this talented wordsmith’s name, and shame on me, this is the first one I have chanced to pick up. It was fantastic! The premise and writing style were gripping, unfailingly intriguing, super twisty. The compelling storylines hosted a bevy of unlikable yet curiously enticing and prickly characters that kept my curiosity lashed to a well-honed edge and made me itch, as they were either close to or well over the edge of being… icky, but that was not always readily apparent. I cringed, flinched, chewed my cuticles and wanted to hiss at any interruption that dared to disrupt my perusal. Sigh, Ms. Goodman has a rabid fangirl on her hands. More, please!
I could feel the waves of emotion radiating off her like blast waves from an explosion.
It’s called a tuck box, my mother had told me, it's what all the kids take to boarding school. As if I were going to Hogwarts and not being sent away in shame.
It’s the quickest, lightest touch of the lips on mine, but it shifts something in me, like the moon pulling an internal tide.
My Review:
Goodreads lists twenty-four novels after this talented wordsmith’s name, and shame on me, this is the first one I have chanced to pick up. It was fantastic! The premise and writing style were gripping, unfailingly intriguing, super twisty. The compelling storylines hosted a bevy of unlikable yet curiously enticing and prickly characters that kept my curiosity lashed to a well-honed edge and made me itch, as they were either close to or well over the edge of being… icky, but that was not always readily apparent. I cringed, flinched, chewed my cuticles and wanted to hiss at any interruption that dared to disrupt my perusal. Sigh, Ms. Goodman has a rabid fangirl on her hands. More, please!
March 16, 2020
I feel like I have encountered similar books before. A woman’s husband/son is accused of a crime and she fights to protect him. There are secrets involved. In this case, both the husband and the son are suspected of having murdered the son’s girlfriend. The book was readable, but not a standout. There was too much of a women’s fiction vibe for me and I doubt that I would seek out this author in the future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
April 19, 2023
3.5⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, prep school, se*xual abuse, grooming, secrets
*just a few highlights for an older read*
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, prep school, se*xual abuse, grooming, secrets
*just a few highlights for an older read*
March 30, 2020
3.75 stars
The elite boarding school of Haywood in coastal Maine is shrouded in a mystery of disappearing girls over decades. Every time someone is trailing too close into finding out the truth about a possible connection, someone new disappears, so with Lila Zeller.
Girlfriend of her son Rudy, and gifted writer student, Tessa has enjoyed Lila very much around her son and as a student in her class. Leaving her own tumultuous past behind, Tessa remarried Professor Harmon from the school and has worked very hard to keep her moody son stable and their history a secret.
When the phone rings in the middle of the night and Rudy asks Tess to come and get him, she finds him unraveled, wet and bloody by a cliffside. Texts from his cell phone reveal, he has been in a fight with Lila. Naturally, Tess wants to care for her son, get him dry, fed and into a safe space, but when the police show up the next morning about Lila's death, the two of them are floored.
Teachers and students are asked to gather for a police questioning and the plot starts to thicken, adding twists and turns to trail the investigation as well as mislead the reader in all sorts of directions. Was Lila about to expose a big secret of the school? Is this why she died? And how about those trips she took with Tessa's husband to study historic documents? Did they have an affair? Why has she not turned in her paper to the literary prize committee? Is someone sabotaging her?
So many questions!
Oh, it is a twisty one to read, with a lot of unease. Tess's former life included an abusive relationship with Rudy's father, and it keeps creeping up. If one has sensitivity towards these things it can trigger some anxiety, it did for me, anyway. I haven't read one like this in a long time.
This novel reads fast-paced and has all the right elements that a thriller/mystery needs, albeit the ending fell just a little flat for me after an incredible take-off. Is it still worth a read? Definitely :)
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
The elite boarding school of Haywood in coastal Maine is shrouded in a mystery of disappearing girls over decades. Every time someone is trailing too close into finding out the truth about a possible connection, someone new disappears, so with Lila Zeller.
Girlfriend of her son Rudy, and gifted writer student, Tessa has enjoyed Lila very much around her son and as a student in her class. Leaving her own tumultuous past behind, Tessa remarried Professor Harmon from the school and has worked very hard to keep her moody son stable and their history a secret.
When the phone rings in the middle of the night and Rudy asks Tess to come and get him, she finds him unraveled, wet and bloody by a cliffside. Texts from his cell phone reveal, he has been in a fight with Lila. Naturally, Tess wants to care for her son, get him dry, fed and into a safe space, but when the police show up the next morning about Lila's death, the two of them are floored.
Teachers and students are asked to gather for a police questioning and the plot starts to thicken, adding twists and turns to trail the investigation as well as mislead the reader in all sorts of directions. Was Lila about to expose a big secret of the school? Is this why she died? And how about those trips she took with Tessa's husband to study historic documents? Did they have an affair? Why has she not turned in her paper to the literary prize committee? Is someone sabotaging her?
So many questions!
Oh, it is a twisty one to read, with a lot of unease. Tess's former life included an abusive relationship with Rudy's father, and it keeps creeping up. If one has sensitivity towards these things it can trigger some anxiety, it did for me, anyway. I haven't read one like this in a long time.
This novel reads fast-paced and has all the right elements that a thriller/mystery needs, albeit the ending fell just a little flat for me after an incredible take-off. Is it still worth a read? Definitely :)
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
December 6, 2020
The Sea of Lost Girls was the first book that I have read by Carol Goodman. I would definitely look to read some of her earlier books now. Overall I enjoyed reading The Sea of Lost Girls. It was fast paced and for the most part kept me guessing and changing my mind about what final outcome of the story would be. There were a lot of twists along the way. Carol Goodman's character development was good as well. I found it hard to put down once I started reading it. I loved how the ending came together.
One of a parent's worst fears has to be getting a phone call in the middle of the night from your child. It could not be a good thing, that was for sure. As the story began, Tess Henshaw received a call from her 17 year old son Rudy at 2:50 a.m. He asked her if she could come and get him at the safe place. Tess was puzzled about Rudy's location. Safe place or SP was a code Tess and Rudy had developed back when Rudy was four years old. They hadn't used the code in years. By the time Tess dressed and left her house it was 3:06 a.m. She found Rudy at the SP and assumed that Rudy had had a fight with his girlfriend, Lila Zeller. In any case, Rudy asked to go home with Tess rather than sleep in the dormitory that night. When they got home, Rudy went immediately upstairs to his room. Tess, all wound up and not able to sleep, decided to grade papers instead. In the early morning,, Tess got a phone call from Jean, the headmistress of Haywood Academy where Tess and her husband, Harmon both taught. She was told that "the body of a student was found below the Point this morning" and that the student was Lila Zeller. Right away, Tess was nervous for Rudy but in her heart she believed that he wouldn't have hurt Lila. Rudy could not be involved. It had to be someone else.
Tess harbored a secret. When Tess was a young girl, she attended Haywood Academy as a student. She had been sent to Haywood when her parents found out that she was having sex with several boys. When Luther Gunn, Tess's English teacher started sleeping with her, another girl, Ashley Burton, went to the headmaster and accused Luther of taking advantage of her sexually. Luther was asked to leave the school. Tess knew that Ashley was lying so she went to the headmaster to try and protect Luther but her good intentions backfired. Tess decided to leave Haywood with Luther. She always wondered "if she would have gone with Luther if she hadn't been pregnant with Rudy already." Life with Luther was fine at first but as time went on Tess discovered that she was afraid of him. He was unpredictable and sometimes violent. She feared for her life and then when Rudy was born for his. One day when Rudy was five, somehow Tess and Rudy were able to escape from Luther. They paid a high price though. Luther came after them as they took off in the boat and when Luther tried to drown Rudy Tess hit him over the head with an oar. They believed that Luther died that day in the lake. Tess and Rudy escaped to Portland and Tess got a new birth certificate for Rudy with the father's name missing, listed as unknown. Tess had carried this secret with her for all these years. She only wanted to protect Rudy. That experience traumatized Rudy. From that day on, whenever anyone tried to grab Rudy he would strike out. It was a reflex from that trauma. Tess's hands were tied though. She could not seek out professional help from a psychiatrist for Rudy because she was afraid of what would happen if her secret was revealed. She coped the best she could and helped Rudy by showing him and giving him love.
Since those turbulent times in Tess's earlier life, her life had turned around. She was now married to Harmon and they both taught at Haywood. Everything was fine until it wasn't. Lila was dead and the police were interrogating both her son and her husband. How could this have happened? Will Tess have to reveal her secret to protect her son? Can she give her husband an alibi?
The Sea of Lost Girls was a mystery with lots of twists and turns and suspense. Many themes presented themselves throughout the book but perhaps the most important one was to not keep secrets, be able to speak out for yourself, lying and things happen for a reason. Tess was not the only one with a secret. Many secrets were being kept and avoided. The truth always came out in the long run and could not be avoided any longer. It also showed that people are not always as they appear on the outside.
The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman was a good book. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it. Thank you to Edelweiss, William Morrow/Harper Collins and Carol Goodman for this complimentary copy of The Sea of Lost Girls. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Sea of Lost Girls is due to come out early in 2020.
One of a parent's worst fears has to be getting a phone call in the middle of the night from your child. It could not be a good thing, that was for sure. As the story began, Tess Henshaw received a call from her 17 year old son Rudy at 2:50 a.m. He asked her if she could come and get him at the safe place. Tess was puzzled about Rudy's location. Safe place or SP was a code Tess and Rudy had developed back when Rudy was four years old. They hadn't used the code in years. By the time Tess dressed and left her house it was 3:06 a.m. She found Rudy at the SP and assumed that Rudy had had a fight with his girlfriend, Lila Zeller. In any case, Rudy asked to go home with Tess rather than sleep in the dormitory that night. When they got home, Rudy went immediately upstairs to his room. Tess, all wound up and not able to sleep, decided to grade papers instead. In the early morning,, Tess got a phone call from Jean, the headmistress of Haywood Academy where Tess and her husband, Harmon both taught. She was told that "the body of a student was found below the Point this morning" and that the student was Lila Zeller. Right away, Tess was nervous for Rudy but in her heart she believed that he wouldn't have hurt Lila. Rudy could not be involved. It had to be someone else.
Tess harbored a secret. When Tess was a young girl, she attended Haywood Academy as a student. She had been sent to Haywood when her parents found out that she was having sex with several boys. When Luther Gunn, Tess's English teacher started sleeping with her, another girl, Ashley Burton, went to the headmaster and accused Luther of taking advantage of her sexually. Luther was asked to leave the school. Tess knew that Ashley was lying so she went to the headmaster to try and protect Luther but her good intentions backfired. Tess decided to leave Haywood with Luther. She always wondered "if she would have gone with Luther if she hadn't been pregnant with Rudy already." Life with Luther was fine at first but as time went on Tess discovered that she was afraid of him. He was unpredictable and sometimes violent. She feared for her life and then when Rudy was born for his. One day when Rudy was five, somehow Tess and Rudy were able to escape from Luther. They paid a high price though. Luther came after them as they took off in the boat and when Luther tried to drown Rudy Tess hit him over the head with an oar. They believed that Luther died that day in the lake. Tess and Rudy escaped to Portland and Tess got a new birth certificate for Rudy with the father's name missing, listed as unknown. Tess had carried this secret with her for all these years. She only wanted to protect Rudy. That experience traumatized Rudy. From that day on, whenever anyone tried to grab Rudy he would strike out. It was a reflex from that trauma. Tess's hands were tied though. She could not seek out professional help from a psychiatrist for Rudy because she was afraid of what would happen if her secret was revealed. She coped the best she could and helped Rudy by showing him and giving him love.
Since those turbulent times in Tess's earlier life, her life had turned around. She was now married to Harmon and they both taught at Haywood. Everything was fine until it wasn't. Lila was dead and the police were interrogating both her son and her husband. How could this have happened? Will Tess have to reveal her secret to protect her son? Can she give her husband an alibi?
The Sea of Lost Girls was a mystery with lots of twists and turns and suspense. Many themes presented themselves throughout the book but perhaps the most important one was to not keep secrets, be able to speak out for yourself, lying and things happen for a reason. Tess was not the only one with a secret. Many secrets were being kept and avoided. The truth always came out in the long run and could not be avoided any longer. It also showed that people are not always as they appear on the outside.
The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman was a good book. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it. Thank you to Edelweiss, William Morrow/Harper Collins and Carol Goodman for this complimentary copy of The Sea of Lost Girls. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Sea of Lost Girls is due to come out early in 2020.
September 26, 2023
This book is a solid, alright book. The book's first third was set up excellently to be heading towards a stable 4-star. Still, it just tapered off, got excessively "woe is Tess" obsessed, and stopped developing areas of the other characters that had been introduced well.
As with all books claiming to be thrillers, I have high expectations of the suspense and thrill that seemed lacking as the book merged the past with the present. Rudy was the best character to me in unfolding throughout the story and development, while Tess seemed to diminish. However, I think the author did the digression intentionally to show the stress deterioration and how the past was starting to suffocate her.
All in all, a solid 3 and worth checking out at some point if you are into boarding school murder mysteries, abuse of power between teachers and students, and the reverse.
As with all books claiming to be thrillers, I have high expectations of the suspense and thrill that seemed lacking as the book merged the past with the present. Rudy was the best character to me in unfolding throughout the story and development, while Tess seemed to diminish. However, I think the author did the digression intentionally to show the stress deterioration and how the past was starting to suffocate her.
All in all, a solid 3 and worth checking out at some point if you are into boarding school murder mysteries, abuse of power between teachers and students, and the reverse.
March 22, 2020
I had such high hopes for this one as it had everything I could have wanted: murder, remote locations, the sea, a fancy school and {what quickly became apparent} an unreliable narrator.
Tess was an okay MC and that sort of feels like a question. Her inner monologue is manic and I never settled into how she told the story. Her son Rudy is filled with shitty behavior that felt like it was more than just being a teenager and yet Tess accepts everything he does without question. There are several other characters, but we don’t get to know many of them.
Plot wise, it was more confusing than tension filled. I didn’t get any feeling of suspense or urgency and while I was interested enough to keep reading, I could have easily set the story down and not been bothered about it.
Overall, it was a fantastic idea, but the execution didn’t work for me.
**Huge thanks to William Morrow for providing the arc free of charge**
Tess was an okay MC and that sort of feels like a question. Her inner monologue is manic and I never settled into how she told the story. Her son Rudy is filled with shitty behavior that felt like it was more than just being a teenager and yet Tess accepts everything he does without question. There are several other characters, but we don’t get to know many of them.
Plot wise, it was more confusing than tension filled. I didn’t get any feeling of suspense or urgency and while I was interested enough to keep reading, I could have easily set the story down and not been bothered about it.
Overall, it was a fantastic idea, but the execution didn’t work for me.
**Huge thanks to William Morrow for providing the arc free of charge**
March 9, 2020
Tessa has started her life over at Haywood, an elite boarding school in coastal Maine. She teaches English there and is married to a well-respected fellow professor, Harmon. Her seventeen-year-old son, Rudy, while troubled in the past, seems to be doing well. This is much in part to his girlfriend, Lila Zeller, a smart and focused teen. But then Tessa gets an early morning text from Rudy, asking her to pick him up. He and Lila had a fight, and Tessa finds him wet and shivering. Later that morning they receive the devastating news that Lila's dead body was found on the beach, not far from where Tessa picked Rudy up. Soon there are whispers of murder surrounding Lila's death, and both Tessa's husband and son find themselves under investigation. And the more she delves into Haywood's past, the more she realizes she isn't the only one keeping secrets.
"When we landed here in this pretty harbor town with its sailboats and white clapboard houses I'd thought we'd come to a place where we'd always be safe. But Rudy has always had a nose for darkness."
I love Carol Goodman's books, and I'm always into a good boarding school book, so picking up this one was a no-brainer. She doesn't disappoint. This is a quick, captivating story that keeps you guessing the entire time. While Tessa isn't always the most likeable character, I was certainly invested in her story.
Goodman deftly weaves two storylines together--the present, featuring Tessa's family and Lila's death and the past, which revolves around the titular lost girls, whom tie back to Haywood in its earlier days. We also learn more about Tessa's past and her long-hidden secrets, many of which also link into Haywood itself. Somehow all of this works together. It's a mysterious, sometimes dark story, and one that keeps you wondering. I changed my mind several times about who could have harmed Lila. I love a book that keeps me on my toes. I also enjoyed the story of the lost girls and the school's eerie stories.
Goodman is a master storyteller, and this book flies by. She brings in links such as "The Crucible," which the Haywood students are performing, and ties to the #metoo movement. They all augment this strong story about the power of lies and hidden secrets. The parallels between the past and present are expertly woven together. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from Edelweiss and William Morrow in return for an honest review.
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"When we landed here in this pretty harbor town with its sailboats and white clapboard houses I'd thought we'd come to a place where we'd always be safe. But Rudy has always had a nose for darkness."
I love Carol Goodman's books, and I'm always into a good boarding school book, so picking up this one was a no-brainer. She doesn't disappoint. This is a quick, captivating story that keeps you guessing the entire time. While Tessa isn't always the most likeable character, I was certainly invested in her story.
Goodman deftly weaves two storylines together--the present, featuring Tessa's family and Lila's death and the past, which revolves around the titular lost girls, whom tie back to Haywood in its earlier days. We also learn more about Tessa's past and her long-hidden secrets, many of which also link into Haywood itself. Somehow all of this works together. It's a mysterious, sometimes dark story, and one that keeps you wondering. I changed my mind several times about who could have harmed Lila. I love a book that keeps me on my toes. I also enjoyed the story of the lost girls and the school's eerie stories.
Goodman is a master storyteller, and this book flies by. She brings in links such as "The Crucible," which the Haywood students are performing, and ties to the #metoo movement. They all augment this strong story about the power of lies and hidden secrets. The parallels between the past and present are expertly woven together. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from Edelweiss and William Morrow in return for an honest review.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb
February 11, 2020
This is not my first Carol Goodman novel, but it is by far my favourite. I'm not sure if it's because of the compelling plot or the atmospheric setting, but this book worked for me on just about every level.
The coastal Maine setting was very vivid, probably because the Maine scenery is very similar to that of where I live in Nova Scotia. I've visited Maine many times and love the coast. The fictional boarding school of Haywood was also very easy for me to picture in my mind.
Tess, her family, friends, and acquaintances were all portrayed realistically.
A novel of family secrets, crimes against women, guilt, courage, hidden truths, and the lengths parents sometimes go to protect their offspring. A book which shows how we sometimes create our own stories by choosing to remember events a certain way.
This novel will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy crime fiction with tight plots, vivid settings and sympathetic characters. Highly recommended!
4.5 stars rounded up
For my complete review of this novel, visit: https://fictionophile.com/2020/02/10/...
The coastal Maine setting was very vivid, probably because the Maine scenery is very similar to that of where I live in Nova Scotia. I've visited Maine many times and love the coast. The fictional boarding school of Haywood was also very easy for me to picture in my mind.
Tess, her family, friends, and acquaintances were all portrayed realistically.
A novel of family secrets, crimes against women, guilt, courage, hidden truths, and the lengths parents sometimes go to protect their offspring. A book which shows how we sometimes create our own stories by choosing to remember events a certain way.
This novel will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy crime fiction with tight plots, vivid settings and sympathetic characters. Highly recommended!
4.5 stars rounded up
For my complete review of this novel, visit: https://fictionophile.com/2020/02/10/...
October 5, 2022
Lila Zeller is dead. Tess and her husband are teachers at the elite boarding school she attended and Tess's troubled son by a previous relationship, Rudy, was dating her. Her family's life was tangled with Lila's and now, with speculation cast their way, so are the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.
Just like in the other Goodman novel that I have read, The Other Mother, this author lured me in to believe I knew all that was occurring early on and could guess the narrative twists, before quickly proving me to be entirely deceived and delivering the knowledge that something else entirely was actually brewing.
Just like in the other Goodman novel that I have read, The Other Mother, this author lured me in to believe I knew all that was occurring early on and could guess the narrative twists, before quickly proving me to be entirely deceived and delivering the knowledge that something else entirely was actually brewing.
January 1, 2021
TW: Hinted Sexual Assault, Assault, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Teacher/Student Relations
March 4, 2020
Lies, secrets, and cover-ups abound in THE SEA OF LOST GIRLS.
Tess would do anything for her son, Rudy....even lie FOR him and lie TO him.
Rudy has always been a problem, and Tess always defended her son even though her husband, Harmon, complained about it.
Tess and Harmon taught at the school Rudy was attending and lived ten minutes off campus. Both Tess and Harmon have things to hide, but what are they? Do they have anything to do with the death of Lila?
After Lila was found dead, Tess has to re-live her previous life that has been kept a secret until now. Harmon’s secrets remain a secret.
We follow the investigation, learn of Tess's life after she left Haywood School and after the birth of her son, and has us pondering how it all fits together to find who was responsible for Lila's death.
Who really is the killer?
There are quite a few characters who could be guilty and quite a few unlikable characters.
Are you a good enough detective to figure it out?
Ms. Goodman definitely knows how to keep up the suspense and feed the reader's curiosity. 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Tess would do anything for her son, Rudy....even lie FOR him and lie TO him.
Rudy has always been a problem, and Tess always defended her son even though her husband, Harmon, complained about it.
Tess and Harmon taught at the school Rudy was attending and lived ten minutes off campus. Both Tess and Harmon have things to hide, but what are they? Do they have anything to do with the death of Lila?
After Lila was found dead, Tess has to re-live her previous life that has been kept a secret until now. Harmon’s secrets remain a secret.
We follow the investigation, learn of Tess's life after she left Haywood School and after the birth of her son, and has us pondering how it all fits together to find who was responsible for Lila's death.
Who really is the killer?
There are quite a few characters who could be guilty and quite a few unlikable characters.
Are you a good enough detective to figure it out?
Ms. Goodman definitely knows how to keep up the suspense and feed the reader's curiosity. 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2023
Tess run away with her teacher and got pregnant at the age of 17. Now 18 years later she is a teacher herself. She is married to Harmon, and a mother of a 17-year-old son, Rudy. One night she gets a message from her son "Can you come get me?". She goes to collect him. Next morning she hears that Ruby's girlfriend has been found dead on the beach, not far from the place where she picked up Rudy a few hours ago...AND she was tutored by her husband, Harmon.
Sexual predation on young vulnerable women is difficult and often used topic. This story didn't add any interesting angles and was quite dissapointing. I should feel sorry for Tess but somehow I didn't feel her ordeal and I didn't much care for her. Perhaps because of the way she was written and her story told. I don't want to be told. I want to see myself and make my own conclusions. It was tiresome and draining to follow Tess's stupid actions and constant lies. I expect more wiseness and sense, especially from a teacher. Instead she was weak, pathetic, annoying and immature. And the way she made excuses for her son's bad and violent behaviour. Argh.
Some other books with illicit teacher/student relationship: She Was the Quiet One, My Dark Vanessa.
Sexual predation on young vulnerable women is difficult and often used topic. This story didn't add any interesting angles and was quite dissapointing. I should feel sorry for Tess but somehow I didn't feel her ordeal and I didn't much care for her. Perhaps because of the way she was written and her story told. I don't want to be told. I want to see myself and make my own conclusions. It was tiresome and draining to follow Tess's stupid actions and constant lies. I expect more wiseness and sense, especially from a teacher. Instead she was weak, pathetic, annoying and immature. And the way she made excuses for her son's bad and violent behaviour. Argh.
Some other books with illicit teacher/student relationship: She Was the Quiet One, My Dark Vanessa.
March 28, 2020
Cookie cutter and forgettable.
A helicopter mom gets a phone call from her 18yo at 3am: come get me, I'm at the safe place. She rushes to meet him at a pre-arranged spot near a deadly seaside cliff (they call this a "safe place"??) He's upset about a fight he had with his girlfriend. When said girlfriend turns up dead at the base of the cliff the next morning, mom moves heaven and earth to throw police off her son's scent, without giving a second's thought as to whether he may have pushed her over or not - or that maybe he should pay for his crime if he did. There's also a major subplot involving that seems to be in every other contemporary fiction and mystery novel being published these days.
For me, this story felt done before. I suspected the cliff pusher-overer pretty early on, and spent too much time being frustrated by the sMother.
A helicopter mom gets a phone call from her 18yo at 3am: come get me, I'm at the safe place. She rushes to meet him at a pre-arranged spot near a deadly seaside cliff (they call this a "safe place"??) He's upset about a fight he had with his girlfriend. When said girlfriend turns up dead at the base of the cliff the next morning, mom moves heaven and earth to throw police off her son's scent, without giving a second's thought as to whether he may have pushed her over or not - or that maybe he should pay for his crime if he did. There's also a major subplot involving that seems to be in every other contemporary fiction and mystery novel being published these days.
For me, this story felt done before. I suspected the cliff pusher-overer pretty early on, and spent too much time being frustrated by the sMother.
October 8, 2019
Totally readable, with interesting made up folklore running through it, this is compelling while you are reading but almost instantly forgettable once put down. Lots of potential in the writing but it just doesn't quite hold together. It doesn't help that, bar the police detective, it's hard to find anyone to root for, with the majority of the cast being either unlikable or two-dimensional with the protagonist falling somewhere between the two.
April 29, 2020
The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman begins with a similarity to The Lake of Dead Languages which I had read quite recently. It had same boarding school scenario on the edge of a lake, same set up of an alumni teacher, a teacher with a disturbing past and hidden lies surrounded by legends and missing girls that until about 30% into the story I never felt invested. But Carol Goodman then surprised me by revealing Tess’s ugly past early into the story and from then on, it was an engrossing and captivating read. And of course, if you have read the author’s previous works, you are probably aware that Carol Goodman uses the setting of the story excellently; coastal Maine and the legend of the nine sisters adding to the atmospheric brilliance.
The Sea of Lost Girls focusses on a mother’s love and the length that she would go to for the sake of their child. It was what comes across from the experiences of Jean and Tess, the choices that they undertake even when knowing it is wrong to protect their children. The student-teacher relation is one of the sacred in the world but when someone in power begins to abuse the system preying on vulnerable girls, it collapses the faith of that revered relationship. Tess is a very complex and flawed character and I couldn’t agree with her decision to keep her son from therapy seeing as that even at 17, it becomes fairly obvious that he’s disturbed and has severe anger management issues.
The suspense of the Lila’s murder and the masks that hide behind the tweets gets revealed slowly and the untangling of all the secrets was literally gripping.
Another awesome thriller from Carol Goodman!
December 11, 2020
3.5 stars
I actually really enjoyed this for the most part, but the end I've read a few times before. I was hoping it might not be who I thought it would, but I was right.
It was very atmospheric though and I love a coastal noir so for most part I enjoyed this book. I struggled to understand why the Tess/Luther thing. The author really had to make everything go wrong on her background in order to make it possible. A lot can go wrong in someones childhood, but here it all went wrong. And as to Luther I've never really understood how he truly got to the point where he did what he did. I could have overlooked the explanation though, but still it pulled me out of the story.
Loved the location though and the school's history. I could also understand Rudy's desire for more independence. Not to mention peoples fascination with true crime. I can see how it spiralled. That is how it often goes in real life as well. So it's well written.
I actually really enjoyed this for the most part, but the end I've read a few times before. I was hoping it might not be who I thought it would, but I was right.
It was very atmospheric though and I love a coastal noir so for most part I enjoyed this book. I struggled to understand why the Tess/Luther thing. The author really had to make everything go wrong on her background in order to make it possible. A lot can go wrong in someones childhood, but here it all went wrong. And as to Luther I've never really understood how he truly got to the point where he did what he did. I could have overlooked the explanation though, but still it pulled me out of the story.
Loved the location though and the school's history. I could also understand Rudy's desire for more independence. Not to mention peoples fascination with true crime. I can see how it spiralled. That is how it often goes in real life as well. So it's well written.
September 11, 2020
THE DETAILS✎ ❐ MURDER AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL ❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 8 HOURS, 2 MINUTES ❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY
MY RATING➯ 2 STARS
The narration by Natalie Naudus may have or may not have been at fault for my lack of enthusiasm for this book. I would be willing to try another book with her narrating to find out, though.
I found this to be overall...uninspiring, unengaging, and predictable...and I'm basically unmotivated to say anything more about this.
BREAKDOWN✎
Narration ➯ 3½ STARS
Plot ➯ 2/5
Characters ➯ 2/5
The Feels ➯ 2/5
Pacing ➯ 2/5
Addictiveness ➯ 2/5
Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 2/5
Originality/Believability ➯ 2/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 2.5/5
Twisty-ness/Mystery ➯ 1/5
Ending ➯ 2/5
SUMMATION ➯ 2 STARS
MY RATING➯ 2 STARS
The narration by Natalie Naudus may have or may not have been at fault for my lack of enthusiasm for this book. I would be willing to try another book with her narrating to find out, though.
I found this to be overall...uninspiring, unengaging, and predictable...and I'm basically unmotivated to say anything more about this.
BREAKDOWN✎
Narration ➯ 3½ STARS
Plot ➯ 2/5
Characters ➯ 2/5
The Feels ➯ 2/5
Pacing ➯ 2/5
Addictiveness ➯ 2/5
Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 2/5
Originality/Believability ➯ 2/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 2.5/5
Twisty-ness/Mystery ➯ 1/5
Ending ➯ 2/5
SUMMATION ➯ 2 STARS
March 20, 2020
This didn't thrill me as much I had hoped it would. It had it's moments where it really grabbed me then at times it fell flat. I guess I wasn't feeling it.
March 13, 2020
This is the first book I've read by Carol Goodman but it certainly will not be the last. I was captivated from the first page and completely engaged all the way through.
I love a good atmospheric novel and this one has it in spades. Set on the Maine coastland, it just amped up the tension and I found it to be effective here. On top of that, the boarding school with it's legends and ghost stories that have been passed down through the generations just gave the story an extra layer of intrigue that kept me glued to the pages.
There is nothing I love more than misdirection in a mystery, and I felt that I was constantly second guessing myself here. I felt sure I knew who the killer was right from the start, but could it be that easy? And then the deeper we got into the story, I knew for sure I had the right suspect, only to be misled once again. I love a book that keeps me on my toes, making me really think about the clues I am given and this one sure did keep my mind busy, for sure!
This book is full of secrets, and as we all know, secrets have a way of coming out at some point. I loved that it was all told from Tess's point of view - it's a nice change from the many books that have multiple narrators. It goes back and forth in time from the present to the past, where we learn some integral bits of information that have some impact on what is going on in the present.
I read the majority of this book in one sitting, as once I really got into the book, I had a hard time putting it down. It's the type of book that gets under your skin as you become desperate to find out what is really going on. I love books like that and I definitely plan on seeing if Carol Goodman's other books are just as addicting!
Thank you to William Morrow Books & TLC Book Tours for providing me with a free review copy!
My reviews can also be found on my blog: http://alwayswithabook.blogspot.com/
I love a good atmospheric novel and this one has it in spades. Set on the Maine coastland, it just amped up the tension and I found it to be effective here. On top of that, the boarding school with it's legends and ghost stories that have been passed down through the generations just gave the story an extra layer of intrigue that kept me glued to the pages.
There is nothing I love more than misdirection in a mystery, and I felt that I was constantly second guessing myself here. I felt sure I knew who the killer was right from the start, but could it be that easy? And then the deeper we got into the story, I knew for sure I had the right suspect, only to be misled once again. I love a book that keeps me on my toes, making me really think about the clues I am given and this one sure did keep my mind busy, for sure!
This book is full of secrets, and as we all know, secrets have a way of coming out at some point. I loved that it was all told from Tess's point of view - it's a nice change from the many books that have multiple narrators. It goes back and forth in time from the present to the past, where we learn some integral bits of information that have some impact on what is going on in the present.
I read the majority of this book in one sitting, as once I really got into the book, I had a hard time putting it down. It's the type of book that gets under your skin as you become desperate to find out what is really going on. I love books like that and I definitely plan on seeing if Carol Goodman's other books are just as addicting!
Thank you to William Morrow Books & TLC Book Tours for providing me with a free review copy!
My reviews can also be found on my blog: http://alwayswithabook.blogspot.com/
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