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This was an interesting story. However the main mystery with the little boy got lost in all the other parts of the story. There's a lot going on so it takes time for it all to come together which is does by the end. This does also lightly touch on sexual abuse but its not a big part of the story though I expected it given how the story was going. The ending was interesting and a clever twist though I did have a little bit of an idea about it. 3*

This is a story about a woman, Alex Kelley, who is hired to ghost write a book about an orphanage. She uncovers a lot of things but this story does not go into great detail about the abuse that happened at Coram House. It's there but not in such detail that this book is hard to read. You know what happened by the testimonies of the grown kids who lived it. Who witnessed it. Who survived...

TLDR: Not a bad book per se, but the MC spoiled it for me.

This could have been a really dark, almost gothic, mystery thriller - all the ingredients were there, but it was a bit of a miss for me. I think the issue is that the main character, Alex Kelly, is difficult to like. She does all the clichéd things: drinks too much making her unreliable, rushes into situations without thinking, thinks she's the only one who can solve a cold case, (cont)

💙📚BOOK REVIEW IS UP!💙📚

⭐️⭐️CORAM HOUSE BY BAILEY SEYBOLT⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️QUICK THOUGHTS⭐️⭐️

⭐️Fantastic setting of an old orphanage

⭐️Great twist

https://reecaspieces.com/2025/04/16/coram-house-by-bailey-seybolt-bookreview-atr...

An excellent, chilling debut.

A good twist at the end.

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/cubap98d

@baileyseybolt
@atriabooks

I really liked the plot of this novel, an investigative author who goes to a small town to research and write about an old orphanage where abuse and a possible murder occurred. While those connected to the past begin mysteriously dying.

What made me really struggle with this book was the main character, Alex. She was a very unlikeable character to me. In short, I found her annoying.

4/15

A chilling read that has the main character, Alex, doing book research about what happened to a boy who lived at the Coram House Orphanage.

Alex‘s safety comes into question as bodies of those who had been at the Orphanage show up.

Is Alex getting herself into more than writing a book - like investigating murders?  

An excellent debut fans of thrillers.

A good twist at the end. P5/5

Out 4/15/25. A true crime writer in need of a second chance agrees to ghost write a book about the abuse that took place at an orphanage. Accounts vary but she is sure there is more to uncover. The more she digs the more the past creeps into the present, murders included. This was a really absorbing debut with a flawed but strong main character and a mystery that wouldn‘t let me rest until it was solved. Highly recommend.