An atmospheric novel reminiscent of Picnic at Hanging Rock, but a later era
Told alternately by Louisa and twenty five years later by an investigative journalist , it’s a slow burner but an engaging mystery.
Louisa is sixteen and very clever when she wins a scholarship to a catholic boarding school run by nuns. She’s flattered when she is befriended by Victoria, another student and they both become in awe of the young and charismatic art teacher, Mr Lavalle. With petty jealousies and raging hormones it’s almost inevitable that disaster will strike- and indeed it does. Louisa disappears as does the young art teacher.
Twenty five years later we eventually find the answer

Temple House is a second rate girls boarding school that thinks it’s first rate or at least some of the incumbents do, especially the nuns that run it. In September 1990 Louisa, a very clever 16 year old girl, is offered a scholarship at Temple House which she accepts but she is looked down on particularly by the girls who are fee paying. In her art class she meets fellow student Victoria and her art teacher Mr Lavelle. Victoria mesmerises Louisa and it appears as if she is her only friend. They become an ‘army of three’. Lavelle is 25 and handsome in a movie star way and so of course with young feminists hormones raging several girls including Victoria fall for his bohemian charms in this well depicted school setting. What unfolds is dramatic at times and certainly mysterious as by Christmas Lavelle and Louisa have disappeared. Together? Maybe. Dead? Possibly. The case is investigated and unsolved until a journalist ex neighbour of Louisa’s becomes involved and the truth emerges. This is a story of lies and silence, love and obsession, of insiders and outsiders, of doomed friendship and loss, of sacrifice and haunting, dominated by class snobbery and delusion. The story is told from the time by Louisa and from 2015 by the journalist.

This is a well written debut by Rachel Donoghue and I’m sure we’ll be hearing her name a lot in the future as her writing is very powerful. The characters are well created although not all are likeable. Helen the Head Girl is cold, a snob, she is cruel and judgemental with a rod firmly stuck up her backside. Victoria uses people and is delusional, Louisa is a shape shifter, desperate to fit in but so uncertain of herself and unsure of what the rules are. She is very likeable as her feelings seem to be true. Lavelle is the shaman who exerts control over his fawns, then pulls back if they try for more than he is prepared to give. He is naive and probably despicable. The novel is full of atmosphere created by the coastal setting with the backdrop of the school with the nuns in their garbs and ceremony but with sharp tongues and piercing eyes. The season of autumn to winter adds an extra dimension too. The ending is very good - it is tragic, shocking and also ghostly with redemption denied by those responsible.

Overall, a very good book which is well written and which unfolds effortlessly. The emotions of the central characters comes across strongly and gives you a whole range of emotions. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for the ARC. Publication date 20/2/20.

The story itself is a little tried and tested, but Donohue has executed her ideas with beautiful, atmospheric writing.

The title is intriguing; the blurb captivating. It’s a shame that this novel didn’t really take off - for me, anyway.

Louisa wins a scholarship to a Catholic boarding school somewhere in Ireland. There, she is befriended by the elusive Victoria and gets caught up in the strange world of art teacher Mr Lavelle and his summer-house lessons. Louisa isn’t popular; she’s bullied by Helen, a prefect, and all she really wants is Victoria - and Mr Lavelle.

The novel’s structure changes - later on, the viewpoints change to include a journalist, who is investigating the disappearance of Louisa and Mr Lavelle from years before, and then from Louisa’s perspective herself. I’m not sure that the switching really works.

The premise behind the novel is strong. However, even though the Temple House is menacing and creepy, there’s no real sense of this being an Irish novel - I think being more rooted in the country would help. Towards the end, when we discover the truth behind the ‘vanishing’, it’s quite implausible that Louisa’s body lay undiscovered near the school for all those years. Surely, a ledge near the swimming pool would have been an obvious place to look?

I really wanted to like this novel more. However, the thriller conventions fall quite flat for me. Part of it reminded me of The Secret History but the plot seems to reach too many dead ends and could have been more exciting. Having said this if does capture the claustrophobic atmosphere of a stuffy, nun-led boarding school at a time not that long ago that wouldn’t have been particularly pleasant for anyone..

This is an amazing book. I absolutely loved it as it was so cleverly written because it made me feel that the characters were relating the tale directly to me.
The story is of two 16year old girls, Louisa and Victoria and how their friendship with their 'charming' unconventional Art teacher Mr Lavelle at an elite Catholic boarding school develops to such a degree that Louisa and the teacher disappear overnight never to be seen again.
The story is told by Louisa and a young journalist who is reviewing the case 25 years later. It swaps between the two but at a comfortable, leisurely pace which slowly reveals tiny parts of the mystery and the answers to it as the book goes on. The ending definitely didn't disappoint and the answers were revealed in an emotional yet gentle way.
To use a cliché I literally couldn't put this book down and had to finish it in one go as the clever writing along with the slowly unfurling story made for a wonderfully addictive read.
This will definitely be a bestseller!
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Atlantic Books - Corvus, for the ARC.
This was just such an absorbing and intriguing read - really couldn't put it down.
Told from the points of view of Louisa - a 16yr-old who was a scholarship girl at an elite Catholic girls boarding school, and a reporter, Laura Palmer who, 25yrs after Louisa's disappearance at the same time as her 25yr-old bohemian art teacher Edward Lavelle, intends to investigate the story again.
The story explores the repressive - the stifling, restrictive, atmosphere within the school and the animosity shown to the scholarship girls by the 'elite' fully-paying students. But Louisa finds a kinship with Victoria, who appears to have an intimate friendship with Edward Lavelle, revelling in his laid-back attitude to life, love and art, and with which Louisa easily identifies - adaption is the key to survival.
On the eve of Christmas Break Louisa and Edward disappear. Not long after, the school closes and now, 25yrs later, it is derelict and awaiting development.
The reporter uncovers long-held secrets as Louisa's narrative provides background, atmosphere and the intimacy she experienced.
"There are no heroes in this story" - it's a sad opening and a very poignant and shocking conclusion.
This is indeed a sad and reflective story of young lives and aspirations; of a girl who has everything and demands more; of a girl who has little and would like to fit-in.
Beautifully written, thoroughly engaging.

I really enjoyed this book right up until the end where in my opinion it all falls apart horridly. Even though the plot itself is nothing new it is well written and the charaters are well built and you can get a real sense of who's who. It was a real shame to see such great writing come to sucha sub par finale. I think that ultimately it could have been much more than what it was.

A 25 year old mystery concerning a former neighbours disappearance from the boarding school she was a scholarship pupil at intrigues a journalist and inspires them to write a series of articles about the mystery in a bid to find new evidence. Louisa is a very gifted pupil however feels out of place both at home where her parents have just separated and at school where as a scholarship pupil she feels out of place and unwelcome except by her friend Victoria who she meets in art class which is taught by the charismatic but unconventional Mr Lavelle. Just before Christmas both Louisa and Mr Lavelle vanish however what happened that night remains a mystery for decades.

I felt sorry for Louisa however I found it hard to like either her, Victoria or Mr Lavelle. There is a lot of teenage angst and confusion however the mystery itself compelled me to keep reading. This is a well written book and the ending was worth it.

Oh, I really enjoyed this book! It engaged me straight away, the narration was on point, engaging, tonally just right (sometimes they can be *too* all-knowing and foreshadowing, etc.) and the mystery was brilliantly done. The relationships between the girls, the school, the teacher ... great! Definitely recommended.

From the premise, I was convinced this was my kind of book - intrigue, jealousy, teenage passions - but I have to confess to being extremely disappointed. It was incredibly slow and I just kept waiting for something to happen. I didn't really connect to anyone of the characters and almost gave up at one point. There was some beautiful writing but overall I found it average in its genre.

Sadly this book was not for me, I tried to stay with the storyline but just didn't enjoy it, I found it difficult to engage with the characters and also found it was too slow to keep my interest so unfortunately didn't finish the whole book.

What an excellent story. It reveals the lives of two young girls, interwoven with love, jealousy and revenge. There is nothing like the intensity of feeling when a teenager and this book captures that so well. As the story unfolds there is nothing given away as to how it will end. It wasn’t an ending I saw happening. .
The Epilogue - the best chapter of the book. After the hurt and pain of the ending, it reveals what happened to the life of the girl left behind to grow up alone with sadness and regret.
I had not guessed at the ending at all and it was both moving and sad.
A lovely book that I feel sure I shall certainly revisit.

This is a good read overall. I guessed the ending fairly early but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the story. It is predictable in places but I liked the writing style and the setting.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A journalist is chasing a story that's all too close to home. Twenty five years ago her neighbour disappeared, presumed to have run away with her art teacher, and that disappearance haunted her childhood. Now, in need of a career making story, she revisits the disappearance, finally getting access to Louisa's best friend, Victoria, a successful business woman.

Thanks t0 Victoria, the journalist starts to get an idea of life in the competitive, high pressure convent school, a place where scholarship pupils like Louisa were looked down on, money was everything and a young, bohemian, male art teacher could command adoration from his cloistered adolescent pupils. But is Victoria a reliable narrator? And is she finally ready to share her secrets?

Told in the alternating voices of Louisa and the journalist this is a tense, riveting read full of twists and turns, vividly bringing the close, fevered teen world of friendships and obsessions to life. Lyrical, dark and compelling this is an interesting debut marking the author as definitely one to watch.

Set in a darkly decrepit boarding school run by nuns and attended by teenage girls, it’s no surprise that an atmosphere of rebelliousness and sexuality runs throughout this book. Moving between the main character’s time at school and the present day, the book follows the unsolved disappearance of one of the girls and one of the teachers, a predictably attractive art teacher with an unconventional approach to his students. It is well written and the last chapter struck me as really quite beautiful, but there were times when I found the characters a bit difficult to engage with. The setting is powerfully imagined and the imagery is strong throughout.

The mystery underpinning the story centres around the disappearance of convent schoolgirl, Louisa and her charismatic teacher, Mr Lavelle. The Prologue told from the perspective of a journalist twenty five years later reveals the suicide of Victoria after she reads a newspaper detailing the case. From here we are whisked back into the past as three different narrative voices help us to piece together the truth. I did enjoy this book in parts but was continually reminded of Susie Salmon from Alice Sebold’s ‘The Lovely Bones’ which for me is the benchmark for deceased narrative voices. After this, I found it difficult to maintain a connection with the characters and found my interest began to flag although I did read to the end.

The Temple House Vanishing is the story of two teenage friends who meet at a boarding school and are befriended by their young and charismatic art teacher, Mr Lavelle. Louise is a moody cool-kid who doesn’t seem to care what anyone thinks about her, and Victoria is inconspicuous and a likable character.

We learn that Victoria and Mr Lavelle went missing and haven’t been seen in years. In later life, a local journalist manages to interview Victoria, something that many journalists before have failed to do, and the secrets start falling out. The book is very nearly haunting and romantic - at points I really wanted Donohue to get deeper and darker and really lead me into the characters anxieties.

I think my favourite part of the plot was when we finally started seeing some answers. I developed a lot of theories in my head about what happened but ashamedly, I didn’t guess the ending! (Must try harder)

If I were a decade younger (21) I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more. The plot would make for an interesting Julia Stiles-type movie but I found the characters quite unrealistic - more aspiration than pragmatic.

I’d recommend the book to teenagers or someone who wants an easy holiday read.

A beautifully put together book that I really enjoyed.

I found the characters relatable and familiar but the story feels original but pays homage to others in the genre.

Read if you liked Lovely Bones.

This is a dark book - it has a very atmospheric and gothic feel about it. It is written primarily from two separate perspectives.

The first is that if Louisa, a teenager, struggling to fit in and find her identity. We see her start at a Temple House, a Catholic school and form a friendship with Victoria. The reader shares their friendship and inappropriate relationship with their teacher, Mr Lavelle.

The second perspective is a modern day journalist who is investigating the disappearance of Louisa and Mr Lavelle. They simply disappeared one day and were never found. The reader is taken on a journey back and forwards in time to find the truth.

When I realised this book was told from a predominantly YA perspective I wasn't sure I'd like it. I don't have much patience these days fir teenage angst and drama. However, it was very well written with Louisa and Victoria being very relatable characters. There were twists and turns here I didn't expect and was taken by surprise at the end.

As a rule I cannot abide epilogues. The one in this book was like a punch in the gut. It was amazing and brought this story to an amazing conclusion that just wouldn't have been as hard hitting without it.

This book tackles some difficult subjects. There are lots of secrets and lies. The gothic feel of the book is amazing. I could see this being made into a mini series... while it's not 'enjoyable' in the fun sense if the word, it's unusual yet familiar and is quite a compelling read.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fine debut from Rachel Donohoe, a dark, chillingly suspenseful mystery novel with gothic overtones, where raging teenage hormones, overheated emotions, and imaginations spill over in a all girls Roman Catholic boarding school. In a school run by nuns, there is a the juxtaposition of opposites, the strictures and repression of religion with its damnation and morality, crossed with the rampant emotional intensity, desires and obsessions of young girls, particularly with the incendiary addition of a male art teacher, Edward Lavelle. Louisa, coming from a troubled family background, is one of the first scholarship girls gaining a much prized entry to the prestigious and elite Temple House School. She is like a fish out of water, in unfamiliar territory she does not understand and not made to feel particularly welcome. What she needs is a friend to help her negotiate the pitfalls so that she can fit into this new environment and she finds that in the other worldly Victoria.

Victoria has her focus on their art teacher, and a girls boarding school is an ideal environment for rumours, rivalries, bullying, jealousy and obsessions to run rampant, one might even say more so in a religious school. Louisa and Edward Lavelle disappear in a mystery that is to remain unsolved through the years, a festering sore that ignites the curiosity of a journalist whose babysitter as a young child had been Louisa. In a tense narrative that goes back and forth through time, the revelations emerge tantalisingly slowly, the lies, secrets, the relationships, the triangles, the untold havoc wreaked by out of control emotions and the decisions that result. This is a well written, absorbing and engaging, atmospheric read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The blend of religious boarding school and teenage girls is captured remarkably well by the author. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.