The Broken Girls ( Simone St. James)

The Broken Girls- Simone St. James

There are some books that are just impossible to get out of your head. Books that, once you've started them, you cannot stop living in that world, even if you're having to function in this "real" world (this world is not fucking real, FYI.) From the moment I saw the cover on Book of the Month Club, I knew I had to read this book. (Don't tell me not to judge a book by it's cover. This cover is stunning.) I love urbex photography, so a story set at an abandoned school campus was RIGHT up my alley. (Note to self, only urbex during the daylight...)

As per usual from me, this is a story that starts in the middle. Our protagonist is a journalist who never really recovered from the tragic death of her sister in her youth. When in the present day a story comes up centering on the land where her sister's body was found, rekindling her curiosity about the abandoned school- the Idlewild Hall school for girls- as someone buys the land and talk begins about reopening the school.

I don't give spoilers for a story itself, but (and this will be a tiny spoiler) let me tell you. I get kinda annoyed when I devote my time to a suspenseful supernatural situation only to get Scooby-Dooed in the end and find out it was some old guy with a grudge against the kids who play in his lawn. This book didn't do that. That's the only spoiler I'm gonna give.

The writing is fantastic, lots of atmosphere, without getting bogged down with pages and pages about the quality of the decaying wood (like some writers we know.) I don't know, maybe the ending could have been a little more in depth or tied together or something, but I still loved it. When I turned the last page, and closed the cover, I had that little sadness that comes from not wanting the joy to ever end. Total. Book. Hangover. 

Already lent this book to two people and two others bought the e-book. As far as I'm concerned, you should read it. Right. Now.

All-in-all:

The Book
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

The Writing
🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

Readability
🕰️🕰️🕰️🕰️🕰️