Bern's Bookcase: The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

4 Haunting Stars for The Broken Girls 

The Broken Girls is part paranormal story, part mystery and I enjoyed how Simone St. James blended the two together. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed the ghost aspect of the story.

The story unfolds via two separate storylines, set decades apart. At the center of each storyline stands Idlewild, a home for troubled girls. In 1950, a girl gets off a bus and goes missing. The only people who are convinced something is wrong are her roommates. Fellow troubled girls, Katie, CeCe and Roberta, know Sonia didn't just run away but no one cares enough to really investigate.

Years later in 2014, Idlewild is set to be reopened. Journalist, Fiona Sheridan is drawn to the land as it is where her older sister was found murdered 20 years before. She decides to write about the restoration for a local paper and uncovers so much more than she bargained for.

I was engrossed by the storyline and all its secrets. The mysteries of the deaths of these two girls with the added layer of a ghost haunting Idlewild kept me turning the pages. I really enjoyed the 1950's storyline and found each of the girls' backstory interesting. Their bond was touching and I appreciated their friendship in light of all the hardship they suffered.

There were several plot twists here and some I definitely didn't see coming! The Broken Girls was a suspenseful and haunting read that I thoroughly enjoyed.