This is an atmospheric and creepy novel that keeps you guessing what the heck is going on. It is told in two timelines, “Then” and “Now” and there are quite a bunch of characters you have to get accustomed to.

The story “Then” is about Cathy and her 5 kids living on a farm outside a rural little town. They keep to themselves. Cathy is homeschooling her elder children and father Joe is mysteriously away for work. The main characters are the two sisters Bee and Loo. They begin to experience a knocking in the walls and it is hailing marbles. Some kind of Poltergeist is obviously haunting them. One night Cathy calls the police and so the strange things happening at the farm finally gets public. It brings on a team of people who wants to investigate the paranormal activities and join the family on their farm.

In the other timeline Loo is grown up and Cathy lives in a home for elderly people. The other siblings are scattered all over the world. Cathy reveals to Loo, who calls herself Lucy now, that she was contacted by a woman who wants to investigate once more what happened at their farm. Lucy does not like the idea for her own personal reasons.

In both timelines there is a team of three people, two men and one woman, who investigate those paranormal activities at the house. While reading I had problems to tell which person belongs to which timeline. So many names and similar things are happening. I also hat my problems finding into the story. As creepy as this is the writing style is a bit aloof. I could not connect to Loo/Lucy and I was immediately unnerved by her sister Bee. The relationship of the sisters is very complicated and dominated by Bee who in my opinion was a sociopath.

Overall I enjoyed the book but I am not overexcited about it. It reminded me of “Headful of Ghosts” from Peter Tremblay. I did not like the writing style because it held me at arm’s length somehow and I had problems to sort out the two timelines and all the characters. It is not a bad book but not the page-turner who gives me goosebumps I was hoping for.

It was all too easy to get immediately sucked into the world of the Corvino family; the two eldest daughters Bee and Loo springing to life from the first page where we are given those first tantalising hints that something isn't right here. It's Loo that we follow for most of the book, both present day and in the past, with her the centre of the haunting and also the only sibling of five that really still cares for their mother - a woman who has been gradually unraveling since the events in the earlier timeline. Loo is an intriguing woman: she seems to have it all together while at the same time dangling on the edge of a precipice we don't learn the nature of until late in the book. 

The characterisation on the whole is strong in The Wayward Girls and none more so than in the female characters. Cathy is all at once sympathetic and frustrating; Bee is larger than life - we all knew a Bee at some point while growing up; the photographer, Issy, is the embodiment of local level journalism frustrations; Nina, with her personal connection to the earlier investigation, is strong and determined yet also, like Loo and Cathy, dangling off the edge of a precipice. 

Split timelines can go either way for me: both timelines can be equally enthralling or one will pull me in more than the other and I'll skim over the rest. The Wayward Girls definitely landed in the former category for me. Mason's prose was at its most evocative when describing the world of early 1970s rural Britain, from the ramshackle farm cottage the Corvinos live in, to the country pub and shop, to the family themselves and the paranormal investigators they find themselves involved with. But the present day is just as vivid - the decay the farmhouse has endured a tragically beautiful contrast to the grand but clinical care home Cathy, the matriarch of the Corvino family, now lives in. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Mason's writing, the dialogue in particular stood out for me - it's spare and realistic. Dialogue can be such a bitch so tricky to get right but it's deftly handled here and enjoyable to read rather than the cringe dialogue can sometimes cause.

The Wayward Girls has everything that I love: dysfunctional family dynamics with teases and hints about what is rotten at the core rather than having it spelled out from the get go; a found footage vibe to the present day timeline - some of it was very The Blair Witch Project in the best sort of way; dark dry humour in places; and an all-consuming creep that didn't let up for even a second.

Mason is a master of dropping hints and keeping those pages turning. The end of every chapter brought fresh revelations and a need to keep going - I was reading long into the night despite a sickeningly early alarm waiting for me. It's easy to forgive a lack of sleep on a book as enthralling as this one though.

The Wayward Girls is a gothic tale that tells the story of the Corvino family, with the main focus being on two sisters, Bee and Loo. Strange knocking sounds, items being moved, marbles and stones flying through the air culminate in the police being called, and an investigation being carried out by a team who carry out research into the 'anomalous activity'. A Haunting at Iron Sike Farm was written by one of the investigators, Simon, and years later his daughter Nina, and two others return to carry on where he left off. Loo, or Lucy returns to her childhood home and despite telling the team that it was all a hoax concocted by her older sister Bee, and brother Dan, there are phenomena that can't be so easily explained. Jumping between Now and Then we learn more about the intricacies of the Corvino family, and a tragic event that occured after a seance. The Wayward Girls was well written and imaginative, but I didn't fully connect with any of the characters, which may simply be because this isn't my preferred genre. For those who enjoy a spooky, dark story, it's definitely worth a read.

Wow....just wow and wow again. I really really loved this beautifully written,haunting but also quite tragic tale. Once I started reading it,I didn't want to put it down and when I had too because of the inconveniences of every day life, I couldn't get the story out of my head. It was like it was calling me,enticing me back to carry on reading.

1976

Sister's Lucia (Loo) and Bianca (Bee) finds themselves the subjects of a paranormal investigation by Professor Michael Warren and his colleague Simon Leigh after stories appear in the national press reporting instances of possible paranormal activity at the isolated farmhouse that Loo and Bee share with their three brothers, mother Cathy and their father Joe.

NOW

Loo,who is now known as Lucy isn't very impressed when a young woman called Nina Marshall contacts Cathy who is now in a residential home suffering from dementia,enquiring if it would be possible if she could interview Cathy and her children about events that happened at the farm. Nina and her colleagues Lewis and Hal have set themselves up at the farm because Nina is determined to complete the unfinished original investigation.

Cathy wants to know the truth about what happened all those years ago but Lucy and her brother Dan are not interested in digging up the past and would prefer it if everything was left well alone. Things and people were not what they appeared to be,both in the present and the past. Secrets,lies,manipulations and deceptions are revealed culminating in a breath taking conclusion where the past and the present merge together in a shocking confrontation.

The chapters of this totally mesmerising story flip.back and forth between then and now,there is also.some chapters towards the end of the book that are set in both time frames. The chapters are narrated by numerous characters including Loo,Bee,Nina and Michael. The author cleverly manipulates the reader,making you trust the characters one minute and then doubt them the next. I was constantly changing my mind about wether I liked or disliked the main characters as I frantically turned the pages. I definitely didn't like Bee for various reasons nor the judgemental people who lived in the village that was near the farm. I loved the isolated ramshackle farm were the girls lived when they were younger. I also.loved the supernatural elements to this story,some of them were truly intense and spine chilling.

I genuinely cannot believe that this brilliant book is a debut novel,
it's extremely well written,the characters were vivid and realistic. The truth is gradually revealed,the author gradually feeding the reader tantalising clues,keeping you guessing and completely invested in her characters fictional worlds. The best way to truly enjoy this book is to keep a completely open mind,settle back in your comfy chair and enjoy. I would have given this book far more than five stars if I could and I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future. Very very highly recommended.

3.5 stars
A mystery or better said a suspenseful story. There are many moments full of edgy twists that will make you guessing a lot as there are many predictable ones as well.
A story told from them and now, a woman that lived a a hunted( or not? ) house with her family, quite some characters, and her present time when she’s struggling to live her day by day with the guilt of having her mother in a nursing home and all the others that wants something from her or better said to find what really happened in that house many years ago.
It has a good pace but somehow it felt a bit flat for me in many moments throughout the book.


Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for my review copy.

My thanks to Bonnier Books U.K./Zaffre for an eARC via NetGalley of Amanda Mason’s ‘The Wayward Girls’ in exchange for an honest review.

It was published on 5th September and I bought its audiobook edition narrated by Kristin Atherton to allow for an immersive experience.

During the sweltering summer of 1976, Lucia (Loo/Lucy) and her sister Bianca (Bee) are living with their artistic parents and siblings on the isolated, rundown Iron Sike Farm. A series of strange noises and occurrences begin to disturb the family.

Reports of the family’s experiences come to the attention of a Society dedicated to investigating paranormal phenomena and a team headed by Professor Michael Warren comes to the farm. His young assistant, Simon, makes a strong impression on fourteen-year old Bee.

The story is told in two time periods. ‘Then’ is 1976 and follows the unfolding events at Iron Sike Farm while in the ‘Now’ chapters Lucy discovers that her mother, Cathy, has been approached by Nina Marshall, another paranormal investigator who is seeking to follow up on the ‘Iron Sike Farm Haunting’. Lucy is protective of her mother, who has dementia, and of the past that she feels is best left unexamined.

This was an atmospheric novel that aside from its classic horror theme of a haunting and/or poltergeist explores various relationships in both timelines. It is a poignant coming-of-age tale with emphasis upon the bond between siblings.

I found this an assured debut that slowly builds up a sense of dread. I was sitting on the edge of my seat for its final chapters and was glad that I was reading it in daylight. I may never look at a marble in the same way again.

I certainly look forward to Amanda Mason’s future projects.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

The Wayward Girls is a surprising novel about what it means to grow up.

Loo and Bee spend the summer of 1976 bored at home with their mother and siblings. They have moved to a new house and are being homeschooled and the locals of the village think they are weird. Things do not improve when Loo and Bee claim that the house is haunted by a poltergeist.

When a local paranormal society get wind of the strange activity, then an investigation begins into trying to deal with the horrors that have befallen the family.

Alongside the backdrop of a haunted house, Loo is desperately trying to fight for position with her older siblings Bee and Dan. She tends to be influenced by their whims and often falls into line when the dominant Bee snaps her fingers.

She is also the one who is most connected to the spirit haunting the house.

Fast forward to the future and the events of that summer are still haunting Loo. Things are about to get worse when the case gets reopened.

I enjoyed reading The Wayward Girls. At times it was genuinely creepy and as a reader you were left feeling uneasy and often doubted the events that were happening. I do feel that it was a little too long and could have had a bit of it shaved off and it wouldn’t have had any major impact on the outcome of the novel. It is a good read for the upcoming autumnal months.

The Wayward Girls by Amanda Mason is available now.

For more information regarding Amanda Mason (@amandajanemason) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Zaffre (@ZaffreBooks) please visit www.bonnierbooks.co.uk.

I really liked this book, as the story was intriguing, with a hint of suspense and a plethora of characters.

The story flitted between the present and the 1970s at a farm house which is haunted by a poltergeist focused around 2 sisters, Loo and Bee (Lucia and Bianca).

A ghost hunting team are at the farm in both the 1970s and the present day to try to get to the bottom of the so-called haunting.

That is the premise of the story which in itself was quite gripping. I did feel that the book was overly long, and there could have been quite a substantial edit which would have tightened up the story. I also felt the ending left things a little in the air and was therefore a little unsatisfactory.

But saying that, I still enjoyed the book. There is nothing like an old fashioned ghost story with things that go bump in the night, projectile marbles and a medium brought in for a seance.

A creepy and extremely well-written book that unfortunately I found quite boring. I never felt like I got to know Loo and Bee well and wasn't really into their dyamic. As usual, the past storyline was much better than the present one.

Not to my taste. Interesting premise but zipped about between characters a little too much for me. The supernatural element of the story was handled well however, with some good old fashioned spookiness sprinkled throughout.

I had seen a lot of positive comments about this book, so despite it being out of my comfort zone I was delighted to be given an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This story is told in two timelines ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ the then being in the very hot summer of 1976. When the family Bee, Loo (later known as Lucy) Dan, Florian and baby Anto live with their mum Cathy and dad Joe at Iron Sike farm for one summer. But during that summer strange things happen, things moving, disappearing, knocking and tapping all unexplained, at one stage Cathy calls out the local policeman.

The families hippy lifestyle makes them unwelcome in the area. Joe being away leaves Cathy to raise her five children on her own with very little money and virtually no support.

Issa is a photographer for the local paper, she thinks this could be the story that will help her escape the boring village affairs she has to cover. She gets caught up in a supernatural investigation which is headed up by Professor Michael Warren and his assistant Simon.

There is tension in both timelines as strange happenings get stronger and the investigation hopes to find answers through photography and recordings as well as interviews and seances held by medium Olivia Farrell.
In the later part of the book Cathy is in a care home, but she becomes agitated and escapes somehow into the garden where she has a fall and this is all because of the ‘barefoot girls’

At times I found pace of the story to be a little slow. There are a lot of characters and the flitting back from ‘then’ and ‘now’ it got a little confusing.

The strange happenings are puzzling and sometimes a little unsettling, without much explanation. Until near the end where Lucy returns to the farm to try and help replicate the findings of the original investigation.

This is a well written story with good narrative, but I just wasn’t sure that I completely enjoyed it it was left a little open ended. It may just be that this is not my normal genre and I am sure that readers of this genre will love it.

A reported poltergeist haunting of two teenage girls, Lucia (Loo) and Bianca (Bee) from a bohemian family is the subject of an investigation by members of a paranormal society in 1976. The haunting consists of strange knocking sounds, showers of marbles appearing from nowhere, mysterious bruises appearing on the girls, and objects being moved around. Now, in the present, a second investigation takes place and previously hidden secrets come to light.

The narrative moves between what happened in 1976 and the present day, both mainly from the perspective of Loo, the younger of the two girls from the original haunting. The author conveys the feeling of suffocation and unease (the hot summer, the isolation of the farm, the mysterious sudden disappearance of the girls' father, Joe, and the burgeoning sexuality of Bee awakened by the presence of young investigator, Simon) very well. It was very atmospheric but not as chilling as I had hoped, plus I had an inkling about the conclusion and was a little disappointed to be proved right. This meant I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars, before finally settling on 4 as I did enjoy reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Bonnier Books UK / Zaffre, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

What I liked

Where should I start? It’s always difficult to start a book review when you loved it. I guess that the first thing I liked was the fact that The Wayward Girls was creepy as hell. During some creepy scenes, I thought that I’d heard some strange noises in my bedroom. I honestly had some troubles sleeping the first night because I had to check 100 times that there was nothing in my room.

You definitely get the chills while reading this book. I promise. The Wayward Girls is the perfect book for this season, especially with Halloween around the corner.

I also loved the fact that there were two timelines in this book, the then and now, which helped the reader a lot and I even put up my own theories, but I never got it right. Unfortunately! I’m definitely no Sherlock Holmes!

The Wayward Girls was a gripping read and I’m sad that I’ve finished it so soon! I would have loved to read more of it.

What I didn’t like

I didn’t have any problems with the book. The only thing that I could mention is the fact that it might have been a bit rushed towards the end. Otherwise, The Wayward Girls was a great read which I really enjoyed!

Overall, The Wayward Girls is the perfect book for autumn. It’s creepy as hell and I swear you will get the chills. If you want to scare yourself on Halloween, this is THE book to read for that day. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

I had the opportunity to read a sample of this novel a few months ago which was so uncanny it left me salivating to read the full story. The story of The Wayward Girls is quite atmospheric but ghostly stories are not really my go-to genre so to sell that to me is always a bit of a challenge. Even though I knew I’d be sceptic, I still wanted to read the story though. I think I did have some moments throughout my reading that even I was having second thoughts. I tried to look at it from every (rational) angle but I couldn’t explain the knocking in the house, let alone the the marbles falling out of thin air or any of the other things going on.

Those moments of tension and chills came and went though and I couldn’t stay into that feeling long enough, so the story lost its momentum of chills for me from time to time and as I read more from the past and present paranormal researchers it became more of a mystery for me. I guess the rational side of me made me approach it more this way.

I didn’t really mind this, I do love a good mystery, but it fell a bit in the middle that way. I also for the longest time didn’t really have a clue where this story was heading and I was really wondering about that while I was reading. Yes there’s things happening, but what then? Why is there a poltergeist (just to give it a name) in the house, what does it want? Nobody seems to be very busy trying to find some answers to these questions, or to figure out how to get rid of it, if it’s real. Finally, I will be in the minority here probably as well but in the end I wasn’t as scared as I was probably supposed to be. Mind you, if you do believe in the supernatural, I’m sure you’ll experience this novel on a whole different level.

I read this book in one sitting, with no idea of how it was going to end. The characters are fantastic, I was particularly impressed how you think things have been missed (for example how Dan seems to be just missing for most of the story) but for that to actually be clarified and tied together later. Really clever. The ending felt more like a sad slow burn rather than the full on fright fest I was expecting from the build up but it was fantastic nonetheless.
I also really enjoyed the switching timelines and didn’t feel at all like this confused the storyline.
If you’re interested in hauntings, ghost stories and the unexplained, this one is for you.

Not a great story but well written,it seemed quite long and not a book you could casually pick up and read,discard then read a bit more
I liked Lucy and liked how dementia was covered
Not my fav genre tbh but that being sent was different enough to be enjoyed

The Wayward Girls is an delightful British ghost story.That leave you with a slightly creepy feeling. As well as questioning all the strange noise your house makes at night.

The book is split into Now and Then, showing what happened originally and now as the cottage is re-investigated. I enjoyed going back and too between Now and Then. I was trying to figure out what really happened at the cottage. Something new would happen which kept changing my mind on what happened.

All the characters felt very real, as they are all flawed and keeping secrets. The only character that my opinion didn't change about was Bee. My opinion changes regarding the other characters as nearly all the characters are hiding something.

I like the fact that that there is a very British feel within the book, from the way the town people deal with the family. How the paranormal is viewed. Even down to the name of the local pub. They're a Red Lion nearly in every town in britian.

The Waywards Girls is well balanced and deals with the change if perspective and time frame clearly. This also helps build the tension throughout the book as it builds to its creepy and dramatic conclusion.

Amanda Mason The Waywards Girl is great for anyone that likes to be creeped out by haunted hours, Ghost and weird children.

My rating for The Wayward Girls is 3.8 out of 5.

in 1976 a family move into a remote farmhouse for the summer, only to find it already occupied with strange things going bump in the night.
Of the 5 children the 2 girls, Bee and loo, seem to be the target of the haunting, although the whole family experience small objects going missing or being moved along with knocking in the walls.
Terrified, Cathy, the mum, calls the police and local policeman Martin witnesses the strange goings on for himself.
Martin involves Issy, a press photographer and eventually a university professor with an interest in supernatural phenomena turns up with a team to scientifically record and analyses the happenings.

the book flicks between 1976 and the original investigation and the present, where a new group of students are keen to follow up on the original findings and contact first Cathy, now in a nursing home with the beginnings of dementia, and then Loo to try and get them to return to Iron Sike farm to assist in investigations and participate in a seance.
The book very neatly jumps between the two timelines and the investigations both then and now lead to increasing tension , particularly in Loo, who was seen as the main focus of the original investigation.
Eventually the truth will out but the journey to get there is fascinating and it was hard to decide who to believe, what the secrets were and what was really going on at the farm.
A fantastic read- slow burning and compulsive. Be prepared to have to read it in one sitting!

Bee and Loo, Dan, Florian and baby Anto live with their mother Cathy and artist father Joe at Iron Sike Farm, for just one summer. In that short season strange things happen at the house, knocking, tapping, things moving and disappearing which culminates in a frightened Cathy calling out a local policeman. Martin in turn speaks to Issy a photographer for a local paper who decides this is going to be her story and escape from humdrum village affairs. She becomes embroiled in a supernatural investigation headed up by Professor Michael Warren and his assistant Simon.
The book moves between timelines and narratives. One moment it is 1976 and Bee and Loo are off causing havoc and the next Lucy (Loo) is the only sibling left to visit their aged Mum Cathy in care home Blue Jacket House. The tension builds in both story lines as the strange happenings intensify and the investigation seeks to find answers through photos, recordings, interviews and to seances led by medium Olivia Farrell. And in the present day the reader is given the impression that all is not as it should be with Cathy. She is agitated, somehow gets out of the care home and into the garden where she falls and it is all because of the 'Barefoot Girl'.
The story is a slow build, often tame in places really (although reading in company and in broad daylight helps!), and occasionally left me feeling confused and irritated. The marbles are the most scary thing! The relationship between Bee and Loo is clearly not healthy and the hippie lifestyle the family lead means they are not welcomed in the area. You can sense the loneliness and boredom and the struggle Cathy has to raise her five children on her own (Joe had 'gone away') with very little money or support.
The strange happenings are puzzling, unsettling and seemingly without explanation until near the end when Lucy returns to Iron Sike Farm to help Nina (Simon's daughter) and friends Hal and Lewis in their attempts to replicate the findings of the original investigation.
This is not my usual sort of book to read and I am still uncertain whether I can claim to have 'enjoyed' it or not. It is a well written narrative and I guess open-ended in places for individual interpretation. When I closed the book I felt a certain sadness. Regrets are all very well but one thing none of us can do is return to the past to change it.

I'm afraid I did not enjoy this book at all. Was way too long and I just could not relate to the subject matter or the individuals. I hated the way everyone had shortened names and the fact mum and dad were referred to by their forenames - it made it seem like there were far too many characters.
Overall I just thought it dragged on and on - even the last few short chapters drifted when by then I should have been feeling a sense of excitement at the reveal.
All far too plodding for my liking. Not a recommend.