From the Bookshelf of The Perks Of Being A Book Addict…

The Broken Girls

Simone St. James

Start date: October 1, 2018

Finish date: October 31, 2018

Discussion: Group Books of the Month (BotM)

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What Members Thought

May 07, 2022 PinkPanthress rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-2-pfennig, 1-onleihe

Okay, I have to admit… I am on a roll. This is my 3'rd Simone St. James book in less than 2 months. Mais, je ne regrette rien!
She really knows how to write and make you want to read in one go! Love² her! 😊

Sooo one of 4 'best friends' of a girl's boarding school (in Barrons, Vermont called Idlewild Hall) disappears on a late November evening in 1950.
Also in Barrons, Vermont in 2014 Fiona Sheridan is plagued by the gruesome murder of her big sister Deb (by the hands of her boyfriend Tim Chris Okay, I have to admit… I am on a roll. This is my 3'rd Simone St. James book in less than 2 months. Mais, je ne regrette rien!
She really knows how to write and make you want to read in one go! Love² her! 😊

Sooo one of 4 'best friends' of a girl's boarding school (in Barrons, Vermont called Idlewild Hall) disappears on a late November evening in 1950.
Also in Barrons, Vermont in 2014 Fiona Sheridan is plagued by the gruesome murder of her big sister Deb (by the hands of her boyfriend Tim Christopher on the grounds of the now deserted Idlewild Hall in 1994).

Now with the Boarding School being renovated will Fiona be able to finally work through it all one last time and then bury the tragic past?
Is Tim Christopher really the murderer of her sister Deb?
What has Mary Hand got to do with it?
And what happened to the young girl at the beginning?

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 Mary Hand, Dead and buried underland. She'll say she wants to be your friend. Do not let her in again!

»Mary Hand, Mary Hand, dead and buried under land…
Faster, faster. Don’t let her catch you. 
She’ll say she wants to be your friend… 
Do not let her in again!«

Again we have two timelines, bot set in Barrons, Vermont… and I am so okay with that since St. James knows how to work it!!
Our Heroine Fiona Sheridan's setting is in 2014 while the 4 girlfriends (Katie Winthrop, Roberta Greene, CeCe Frank and Sonia Gallipeau) are living in dark, dreary 1950.

Main characters are.:
-Fiona Sheridan, 37 years old journalist who hasn't been able to live a happy life since her sister Deb was murdered 20 years ago at the age of 20.
-Jamie Creel, 29 years old police-man and Fiona's lover for less than a year. His father and grandfather, both were police-men themselves.
-Malcolm Sheridan, Fiona's father and a well known journalist.
-The 4 friends at the boarding school in 1950, all 15 years of age. Katie Winthrop, Roberta Greene, Celia 'CeCe' Frank and Sonia Gallipeau.
-Miss Sarah London, aka. Lady Loon. The youngest teacher of our 4 girls at the boarding school.
-Garrett Creel Jr., former police-officer and his wife Diane Creel a home-maker, parents of Jamie.

And just a few of medium to minor characters in no certain order.
-Margaret Eden, wealthy widow.
-Anthony Eden, son of Mrs. Eden.
-Stephen Heyer, drug addicted man.
-Helen Heyer, sister of Stephen.
-Deb Sheridan, Fiona's sister, murdered 20 years ago by Tim.
-Tim Christopher, boyfriend of Deb and convicted murderer.
-Rose Albert, a lady from Burlington.
-Joseph, CeCe's half-brother

° At times I just wanted to take hold of Fiona and shake her so hard it would hurt. And then slap some sense into her.
° Jamie was a good guy but it's quite clear, that he's almost a decade younger than his girlfriend and still has to learn.
° I loved the 'poor' Barrons of 2014, the way St. James described it. A little bit like my beloved, dying Ruhrpott.
° The atmosphere of Idlewild Hall was awesome, and I loved³ how our 4 girls did stick together as best as they could there. In a time where girls were just seen as future homemakers and breeding material for many men these girls bonded for life and beyond.

Boo!

A few Spoilers!
(view spoiler)

EDIT - Just cut one sentence out, and cleaned up some writing errors & misspellings. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2020 Wisteria rated it it was amazing

It is a toss up for me over which is creepier - sundown motel or this. Liked it. Also liked how strong female friendship was weaved into this story, and the plot twist at the end.

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