This book just felt real, I love mystery but in day to day life not many people experience a gruesome murder and have to investigate it. I liked how this was just a story of sorrow and acceptance, there doesn’t need to be a giant and unusual event in someone’s life for it to be worthy of a book.

This felt a little like The Gallagher Girls series with a focus on mental health, which was fascinating. It was refreshing for characters to show their struggles in accepting they were not okay, because that it what it truly feels like. My students would really relate to what each character goes through because it is something teens face more often than we think.

3.5 - 3.75 stars ⭐

a totally unexpected read that took me a little more than it probably shouldve

with the cover and blurb i totally expected a mystery or something dark (which are the genres that goodreads says it is.) Its more a character driven book with most of it focusing on character development and mental heatlh rep with hints of romance and a little suspense.

RTC

The cover made me think this would be something else. That said, I still enjoyed it.

The Castle (for Troubled Girls) is a psychological contemporary novel by Alyssa Sheinmel.
So this book isn't a typical mystrey novel like I was expecting but it is primarily focused on bringing to light the issues young adults face when it comes to mental health. Though it's something that's talked about a lot in the present day, it's still considered a sensitive topic and the author does a brilliant job of creating a balance between real world issues in a fictional setting.
We meet different girls who each suffer from issues ranging from kleptomania to self harm and we get to deep dive into what lead each of them to be enrolled at the school/castle. It's sad to hear their stories but what makes it even more real is that there are people going through these issues on a daily basis in the real world.
The mystrey element come from Moira's doubts about Dr. Prince's practices in the castle and that it feels more like a jail to her which in its own way was interesting as we get to learn a LOT more than I expected about him and why the Castle exists.
But the ending takes the cake as Moira's struggles finally unravel as she learns why her parents sent her to the Castle and it runs way deeper than just "skipping class".
It brings into question why we do the things we do because even when we don't realise it, subconsciously we all have our reasons.
Overall, I loved this book!

4.5

When Moira's parents inform her she's being sent to The Castle School (for troubled girls) an all girls boarding school in middle of nowhere Maine she knows she's being punished. She's been in too much trouble since the death of her best friend Nathan and her parents just don't know what to do with her anymore. At Castle School she's expected to participate in group therapy and befriend the other 11 girls at the school. Along with pouring her heart out to Dr. Prince the odd head master of the school. But Moira is uninterested in getting over Nathan's death or making new friends.

On her first night at Castle School she hears distant music coming through her window, on her second she realizes the lock on her window is broken and on the third she and her roommate sneaks out only to discover another Castle School just like theirs with boys instead of girls and a different Dr. Prince. she is convinced that the schools are hiding something. But the more time Moira spends trying to figure it all out the closer her and her fellow classmates' become to figuring out why they're at the Castle School.

This book was a truly great read. It was very atmospheric and works well as an engaging mystery without murder or serial killers. Bits and pieces of Moira and her fellow classmates are revealed throughout the story in a way that both answers questions and leaves room for more. It's a great read for someone looking for an atmospheric mystery that doesn't have to include murder.