The narrative unfolds through alternating perspectives, primarily focusing on the viewpoints of Louisa and the enigmatic art teacher, Mr. Lavelle. This dual narrative adds depth to the story, providing insights into the characters' motivations and relationships. However, some readers may find the pacing of the novel to be slow, as the plot unfolds gradually through subtle clues and character developments.

Donohue's exploration of themes such as power dynamics, obsession, and the search for identity adds layers of complexity to the story. The intricate plotting keeps readers guessing until the final pages, although some may find the resolution to be somewhat predictable.

Overall, "The Temple House Vanishing" is a meticulously crafted thriller that will appeal to fans of atmospheric mysteries. While it may not be suited to those seeking fast-paced action, its richly drawn characters and haunting setting make for a compelling read.

Another excellent title, which will challenge readers and writers alike. Excellent choice of protagonists and plot line that will engage all.

This was a gripping page-turner telling the tale of Louisa, who gets a scholarship to a snobby boarding school. She feels like an outsider until she becomes great friends with Victoria. However, one day Victoria disappears with the young art teacher and everything changes. 25 years later, a journalist picks up the story and is determined to uncover what happened. I loved that this was told through the voices of different characters, over different time periods, and thought that the author created great suspense and tension along the way. The gradual unravelling of the story really adds to this atmospheric book.

Love books that are set in a boarding school and even though I’ve read a few, I’m always drawn to them and come back for more! This one was a great read and one that will definitely be up there as a favourite boarding school book.

This book is very progressive - the book darkens as the chapters go on and the whole feel of the book changes. That added with the fact is goes from past to present really grabs you attention. Very cleverly written and I always commend authors who can pull this off well.

This book hasn’t hard the recognition it deserves and I think this could have be praised so much more! Definitely one to read and don’t take the blurb as face value as it certainly doesn’t live up to what’s inside the book!!

The Temple House Vanishing is a captivating and atmospheric debut novel by Rachel Donohue. Set in an Irish boarding school, the story follows the disappearance of two teenage girls and the aftermath that unfolds.

Donohue masterfully builds tension and intrigue throughout the book, keeping the reader on edge as they try to unravel the mystery. The dual narrative structure adds depth to the story, allowing us to see the events through the eyes of Louisa, a new student, and the enigmatic Sister Consuela, a former teacher at the school.

The characters are well-drawn, with complex motivations and hidden secrets that are slowly revealed as the plot unfolds. The author also expertly captures the eerie and oppressive atmosphere of the boarding school, which adds to the overall sense of unease.

While the book's ending may not satisfy everyone, it is certainly thought-provoking and raises interesting questions about the nature of art and the price of genius.

Overall, The Temple House Vanishing is a highly recommended read for fans of literary suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly this book didn’t really connect with me. I couldn’t get into this and sadly failed to finish it.

Louise, Victoria and Helen all have secrets but it is Louise who ends up paying the ultimate price for hers. She vanished in the 90s and her disappearance has remained a mystery ever since. This book tells the story through her eyes interspersed with interviews undertaken by a journalist who is trying to uncover facts hat will help solve the mystery. This book is a cinematic and uncomfortable read which gave me the sensation of feeling the answer was just out of my reach with every page I read.

Louisa is the new scholarship student at Temple House, a drafty, imposing cliffside boarding school full of girls as chilly as the mansion itself. There is one other outsider, an intense and compelling student provocateur named Victoria, and the two girls form a fierce bond. But their friendship is soon unsettled by a young art teacher, Mr. Lavelle, whose charismatic presence ignites tension and obsession in the cloistered world of the school.

Then one day, Louisa and Mr. Lavelle vanish without a trace, never to be found. Now, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the disappearance, one journalist—a woman who grew up on the same street as Louisa—delves into the past, determined to uncover the truth. She finds stories of jealousy and revenge, power and class. But might she find Louisa and Mr. Lavelle, too?

Told in alternating points of view, The Temple House Vanishing is tense, atmospheric, and page-turning . . . with a shocking, ingenious conclusion.

The Temple House Vanishing is a compelling and beautifully descriptive novel that is full of atmospheric tension.

Louisa and her art teacher both disappear seemingly without trace. Twenty five years later we learn the truth behind Temple House school, the friendships, the social divides and a fateful relationship.

A wonderfully written book where you get under the skin of the characters and wish you could help them with their decisions. It drew me in and kept me hooked until the end.

A complex and complicated tale that failed to captivate me. Still not sure what happened or why but in particular I’m confused by the role of the neighbour/ journalist.

This is atmospheric and we'll written but it just wasn't for me. It was interesting enough to keep me reading but I found it a little self indulgent and overly descriptive.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This is a quite suspenseful mystery with a gothic atmosphere.
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"It began with death, my time in Temple House."
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Louisa is a new scholarship student in Temple house which is a catholic girls school. She made only one friend, Victoria, who is in love with their art teacher Lavelle. Victoria confessed to her that she is running away with Mr. Lavelle.
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This is a well written mystery focusing on the emotions of teenage girls, so many dramas, bullying, jealousy, obsession, desire. The story is intense and goes back to the past and present, and builds up to the climax. The ending is quite shocking and dark, which fits the ghostly vibes perfectly.
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The characters are not all likable. Some of them frustrated me a lot, while Louisa is definitely an interesting character, trying to fit in at school. I wish there was more character development and wanted to feel myself more attached to them.

"Love seemed like a trick. You won or were outwitted by it. You thought it was there, and then it wasn't."
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Overall, the writing is good and I like the dark atmosphere in this book throughout.
I marked this book as 3.5 stars out of 5.

I tried so hard with this book but after numerous attempts I have had to declare it as dnf. Very disappointing as I was really hoping for great things from this book.

The Temple House Vanishing by Rachel Donohue. Twenty five years ago Louisa arrived at Temple House catholic boarding school. She has trouble fitting in with most of the girls but becomes good friends with Victoria and the art teacher, Mr Lavelle. Louisa and Mr Lavelle mysteriously disappear and now, twenty five years later a journalist who remembers Louisa from her childhood sets out to find the truth. Love, desire and tragedy unravel as she learns the truth.

Rachel Donohue certainly knows how to create a claustrophobic, intense narrative, full of tension, repression and teenage fantasies.
The boarding school setting, the rustling nuns, the louche art teacher, the awkward outsider, all work beautifully together and the mystery disappearance of one of the pupils keeps you guessing. The pace is good, the drama builds in a satisfying way, and there is great insight into characters’ motivations.
A couple of things didn’t work that well for me, however. I felt that the journalist’s story could have been developed more fully, and I didn’t believe completely in the final dénouement, which, after thoroughly enjoying the novel up until then, was quite disappointing.
That said, Donohue certainly knows how to write convincing characters and atmospheric settings, and I look forward to her next book.

*Many thanks to Rachel Donohue, Atlantic Books, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A good idea that, having been executed better, may have appealed to me. Unfortunatley, neither the plot nor the characters managed to engaged me deeply, beyond the reading ground.
The premise is a catholic boarding school, a choice for the rich, where some young girls form friendships and experience their first infatuation, not love, I'd say. Add a handsome enigmatic teacher, and you have a good beginning. Twenty-five years after one of the girls disappears, a journalist, to whom the girl was not a total stranger, tries to find out what really happened.
The narration is a little too shaky, and the characters lack this quality that would make me feel attached to them, they actaully left me indofferent. I may have been not the best target reader for this book.

Absolute loved this book. I was utterly hooked and found myself reading it as any opportunity I could find. There is a lot going on in it but the author does a brilliant job of keeping it all together and bringing all to a fabulous ending

I haven’t read this, but my husband has and he says he highly recommends, a story with a difference which really makes a change.

This is one of those books where as soon as you read the premise, you know you have to read it. It sounded exactly like my kind of book, and I was really excited to read it, especially as it sounded like a really gripping mystery type thriller. And at the start, it was exactly that - beautiful descriptions of the school and scenery, addictively dark tone and a sinister mystery at its heart. However, as the book developed I sadly began to lose interest, and I sadly never felt like I connected with any of the characters, to the point where I just didn't really care about what happened to any of them. And I felt like it lost its momentum as it went along, so by the time you find out what did happen it almost felt like too little too late. All in all, a mixed bag but one that I wouldn't recommend. The writing was beautiful, and I'd definitely try another book by this author, but the plot line in this story just didn't work for me.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

This is a slow paced book but definitely worth the read. An eerie tale full of mystery, An enjoyable read!