Written by contributor Courtney Blanton
This was my first title by Moretti and she did not disappoint. I found myself binging this book in the course of three sittings over a two day period! Despite the slow-burn nature of the novel, Moretti did a wonderful job of providing short chapters with enough suspense throughout to keep the reader engaged.
While reading this thriller, I was reminded of T. Marie Vandelly’s Theme Music, in the sense that the main character returns to a childhood home in search of answers regarding her family’s past. Hannah’s return to Brackenhill is brought on by a family member’s death which allows her the opportunity to confront her past that she has avoided for the last seventeen years. Told through two timelines, then and now, readers uncover the hidden secrets of Hannah’s past and how they will affect her in the present day.
The only flaw with this title was that I found myself left with questions at the end as the story ends with a cliffhanger. Perhaps, the author will decide to write a sequel and wrap up these thoughts? However, with that being said I would still recommend others to check this one out!
Girls of Brackenhill is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Girls of Brackenhill? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Haunted by her sister’s disappearance, a troubled woman becomes consumed by past secrets in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year.
When Hannah Maloney’s aunt dies in a car accident, she returns to her family’s castle in the Catskills and the epicenter of a childhood trauma: her sister’s unsolved disappearance. It’s been seventeen years, and though desperate to start a new life with her fiancé, Hannah is compelled to question the events of her last summer at Brackenhill.
When a human bone is found near the estate, Hannah is convinced it belongs to her long-lost sister. She launches her own investigation into that magical summer that ended in a nightmare. As strange happenings plague the castle, Hannah uncovers disturbing details about the past and startling realizations about her own repressed childhood memories.
Fueled by guilt over her sister’s vanishing, Hannah becomes obsessed with discovering what happened all those years ago, but by the time Hannah realizes some mysteries are best left buried, it’s too late to stop digging. Overwhelmed by what she has exposed, Hannah isn’t sure her new life can survive her old ghosts.
